Yami no Tenshi, Hikari no Akuma
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: [AU] was just a new student in a new district, trying to fit in. He wondered exactly what he or someone else had done to attract so much unwanted attraction, eventually finding himself trapped in a social paradox...where the wrong decision could be deadly.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note**

Literal meaning of the title Yami no Tenshi, Hikari no Akuma is (or is meant to be, my Japanese isn't really that good) 'Angel of Darkness, Devil of Light'.

Now this story is rated M rather than my usual T-rated fics because it contains mature themes, including political intrigue, criminal activity, indulgence in alcohol and perhaps drug abuse, which then leads to intoxication, mentions of prostitution and extramarital affairs etc, not all of which are mentioned in this prologue. And if anyone's head is stuck in the gutter, get it out because I am not, and never ever will, write lemon scenes. Got it? Good.

And you might want to try to refrain from passing judgements as to who is "good" and who is "bad" straight off, because as the title suggests, or is supposed to suggest, it is not quite as clear cut as all that. Though admittedly that would be a bit difficult, so I don't blame anyone if you don't. In fact, I'll applaud you if you do. But at least keep in mind that I have given little background in terms of some of the actual characters, so opinions will most likely change once that is revealed.

This story is built on real life issues, only they've been brought out into the open rather than concealed, and probably a bit, or maybe alot, exaggerated. Or maybe not...that depends on how much is concealed and how much is actually brought out into the open...though I think my lack of experience is so going to ruin this.

Anyway...please read and enjoy and tell me what you think of it. And don't jump to conclusions. There's more to it...a lot more.

**Disclaimer:** Should be obvious what I own and what I don't. I don't really need to spell it out for anybody.

* * *

**Yami no Tenshi, Hikari no Akuma**

He was just a new student in a new district, trying to fit in. He wondered exactly what he or someone else had done to attract so much unwanted attraction, eventually finding himself trapped in a social paradox...where the wrong decision could be deadly.

Kouji M & Kouichi K

* * *

**Prologue**

Faint cries echoed faintly around the dim room, if it could even be called that. It had three walls and a roof, the fourth having collapsed inwards some years back, and frayed curtains hung over the large, cracked window, only partially concealing its interior from prying eyes. Inside, the broken door swung slightly, groaning as its rusty hinges attempted to support the splintered wood. Outside, the balcony rails half hung off the platform jutting out of the second storey. It was separated from others of a similar design simply by thin walls on the verge of collapse.

The entire structure was once a double storey house belonging to an unnamed man who lived in Ueno, one who had chosen to rent out each individual room to those who were truly desperate at prices they could only marginally afford economically. Indeed, most would not be able to afford even that, but it was the best in terms of yen, and despite all else, they were forced to let go of their morality and resort to more dissolute ways of raising enough money for survival. After all, for the women especially, living on the streets were not an option.

It was located in Sanya, a small neighbourhood in Taito-ku in Tokyo's north-east. More commonly known to those outside the area as Higashi-Asakusa, Nihonzutsumi or Kiyokawa, Sanya was essentially the foil of traditional Tokyo, contrasting sharply with the traditional charm of Asakusa and the glitzy and hyperactive futurity of Shibuya, a small, majorly overlooked and dilapidated neighbourhood packaged inside a city of vast extremes.

Only those who had no other choice stayed in Sanya; it was, after all, that no person would choose to live in if they could avoid it. Many who lived there were homeless, orphaned or abandoned to find their own way in the world, and unable to attain a decent job or means of attaining money due to others turning their faces at the circumstances forced upon them. They were outcasts of the traditional Japanese underclass, deprived and shunned. In the end, they were only playthings to those more powerful than them.

Sanya. It was the type of god-forsaken place that existed in almost every economically substantial country, the type of place ignored by government and those of a higher socio-economic class, save for their personal pleasures, and only coming to the attention of the police when it was necessary to appeal to the wider public of Tokyo.

To those who were forced to live there, it was hell on earth. But it was all they had.

The interior of the room was just as bad as its outer appearance and the connotations of its placement in Tokyo, if not worse. As already mentioned, one wall had fully collapsed, leaving the remaining three walls to support the roof it upheld, with considerable effort which showed by the strained cracks that ran through the plaster and wracked the foundations beneath. Wooden foundations showed between the large, jagged plates which had been stacked to cover the exposed wall as best as possible, the haphazard pile only shielding a third of it, from the bottom up. As such, another room could be seen past it, broken bottles littering the cemented floor, the scent of alcohol drifting in the air, mixed with stench of disposed stomach acids and other fluids. Despite that, the room was empty of life.

The other was not, but whatever life it contained hung at the balance from which death could snatch them into its grip at any moment. Two were newly given; barely a few weeks old and still unadapted to the harshness of the outside wall as opposed to their mother's womb, huddled under newly moist blankets slightly stained with blood lost from postpartum haemorrhage, and dampened by expelled interstitial fluids. The third, their mother, lay half dressed and barely moving with the reddish-brown liquid of life slowly spreading from beneath the dirtied frock she wore, one bundle buried near her hip with a limp arm barely touching, while the other was between her opposing leg and the floorboard she rested on. It was a position the three found themselves in not out of choice, as she had been in the process of cleaning herself and her children to the best of her ability when another discharge of blood had forced a collapse, causing her to drop the two infants as her own strength had given out on her.

She was rather pale and undernourished, even more so than occupants of that particular area of Taito-ku found themselves. The process of childbirth, and both its side-effects and strain on her young, but weak body further than her current physical health could tolerate. Her cheeks were flushed from an insetting fever, and her body, past the thin, heavily stained and pale blue frock that she still adorned that came only halfway to her knees, bore signs of fatigue, pain and abuse, largely resulting from the...activities she was forced to engage in, in order to keep them all alive.

But other factors had made that impossible.

Dark blue locks of hair had fallen over her eyes, mostly obscuring her vision, but she had not the energy to spend to rectify that. Instead, she attempted to shift and gather the crying forms into her hands and hold them close, all while exempting as little energy as possible.

However, she only got as close as two fingers cutely clutched by the tiny digits of each of her babies, when a door downstairs slammed open.

She jerked a little, before moaning in pain as the wails suddenly ceased and she berated herself for her irrational assumption, that it was the man who fathered these children, the one whose sperm had penetrated her egg over nine months ago in one of their extramarital affairs...of a sort. After all, he was married. She was not. And while he wanted the brief ecstasy that came from such a release, she was compelled to sacrifice her dignity for such actions, being in need of cash and having no other way of obtaining it. Though she couldn't help but be attracted to him...couldn't help but enjoy their time together...couldn't help but fall for him, despite his unattainability to her, and the apparent deficiencies in his character.

There were others who lived in this building, she reminded herself. There were twelve rooms; it could be someone visiting someone in one of the other eleven, or perhaps even one of the inhabitants, or by some odd chance, the police in need of public appeal and searching for a scapegoat. After all, it could be anyone...anyone at all.

Her hand had managed to inch forth a fraction when the door to her own quarters was kicked open violently, causing the wood to detach itself from its unstable hinges and clatter to the floor outside with a resounding crash. She winced at the noise, then winced again as loud, heavy and erratic footsteps pounded somewhere near her ear.

She knew those footsteps, and she had so dearly been hoping that he who they belonged to would come, then later hoping just as dearly he would not. But she had no time to reflect on the outcome of her indecision as she was jerked off her stomach and pulled roughly to the other's face, so close that she could smell the alcohol on his breath. He looked into her revealed dull blue eyes a moment, lust and intoxication clouding his own brown ones, before he gave a disgruntled grunt and discontent, released the woman he held, causing her to fall onto her back, barely missing the two babies still huddled within their blankets.

'You're wasted,' the man slurred, tongue lopsidedly rolling over the words, making them barely comprehensible.

She was. It was the truth, no matter insignificant it sounded from the mouth of the drunken business man.

It was at times like this where she wished more so than other times that she could change her past, or at least build a more profitable future for herself...and her children. They had not been part of the plan, but by the time she had found out, it was far too late to risk a cheap line abortion, nor was she willing to be the murderer of her own children, and so she conceived them. Despite that she, with her failing health, simply could not support all three.

After all, she had barely been able to meet ends for herself alone...

...but none of that mattered now.

The man muttered something unintelligible, before lumbering towards the door, only to suddenly stop as a sudden wail suddenly pierced through the comforts of the blankets, which up till now, had been conveniently covering them from view. The man, even in his stupor, recognized the sound and snapped his head back, and the woman, knowing she could no longer hide the consequence of their extramarital affair, shifted to reveal the undernourished pair of twins.

'They're yours...' she mumbled pitifully, gazing with a small glimmer of hope into the other's eyes, hoping that the kindness and compassion drowned in liberal amounts of alcohol had not been so smothered as to cast aside his own two children.

'No they're not...don't want kids...' he laughed hollowly, before continuing, slightly more soberly. 'Satomi's getting a kid...'

Satomi was his wife, but obviously the two women had never met, the man having kept his extracurricular activities a secret from her.

The crying child cried harder, as the drunken man lumbered over once more, knelling down next to the woman, before striking her across the face.

'Shut the babe up,' he snapped, kicking the bundle into her arms. Mother and child froze, and the other began whimpering as well, though he was quieter, far quieter. So quiet that the drunk man had not heard.

'Please…Kousei,' she whimpered, struggling to pull herself up, the coarse material slipping. 'They won't survive with me…take them…' the last words were so faint and disheartened, as though she was beyond hope that they at least could be saved from this hellhole. If he had been sober, then perhaps the kind-heartedness that she barely saw could have saved them…

But even in his drunkenness, something in the baby's crying affected him. Something pierced through the haze of intoxication he had drowned himself in. He turned, and found blue eyes, akin to his own, staring back at him, a small hand reaching out to grasp him.

And he knew he could not leave him.

Had he been more sober, he would have considered the woman and her remaining son, but he was not capable of coherent thought. As it was, he was barely aware of snatching the crying child from the woman's grasp, the child instantly quieting in his arms, nor was he aware of anything following after. Indeed, the next thing he knew was waking up on his living room couch with a hangover, and thanking the stars that his wife was taking a PD course across the river, and wouldn't be back till later that week. Of course, he had no chance to get rid of his pounding headache when the babyish wails filled the room.

Later, when hid mind was possible of more coherent thoughts, he remembered the other child, and the ill woman he had left behind. And so, driven by the morals he had buried deep with intoxication, he went back. But all he found was the blue frock on the floor, and the quarters empty of all life.

It was like a knife to his dull heart, knowing that he at least could have saved his other son, and perhaps even the woman who had sold herself to people like him who sought pleasure like an addictive drug, had his heart overruled his head. Despite the conception being unintentional, they, the two wrapped in their stained blankets, were his children, just as much as they were Tomoko's. He felt that perhaps that was why she had kept them, despite being clearly in no position to raise them himself.

It was then that he was forced to face the consequences of his actions. It had been a brief ride, and while it had been intoxicating while it lasted, it was time he got his life back on track.

Beginning with trying to explain to his wife why he had a barely-month old baby in the crib upstairs.

Kouji, he thought, turning slightly as he heard the front door open. Kouji...second child.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

Hi again everyone. New chapter. Enjoy.

And if the fighting scene sucks, its because of my limited Taekwondo experience.

**Disclaimer**: I own what I own, and everything else, I don't.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Yami no Tenshi, Hikari no Akuma**

He was just a new student in a new district, trying to fit in. He wondered exactly what he or someone else had done to attract so much unwanted attraction, eventually finding himself trapped in a social paradox...where the wrong decision could be deadly.

Kouji M & Kouichi K

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Sixteen years later, Minamoto Kouji was still as adamant of getting his way as he was when an infant. He was far too old to wail and cry in order to get his point across, however Minamoto Kousei still found himself captivated by the mesmerizing eyes that had trapped him on that fateful day.

'Kouji,' he sighed, breaking eye contact as his son made a non-committal noise between his teeth. 'Would you stop being difficult and put on a suit?'

'No.' the other responded flatly, not even sparing his current outfit a glance: a long sleeved navy blue jacket with a pale yellow stripe running down each arm, under which he wore a t-shirt of the same colour, and grey, three-quarter pants, with a couple of centimetres gap between the cuff of the pants and his navy blue socks, the outfit topped off with the blue bandana striped with brown tied around his long, black ponytail.

His father sighed, dressed in his own pressed black suit. '_Please_ don't be difficult,' he muttered, knowing full well the added emphasis, nor the words, would deter the other.

As expected, Kouji simply scoffed in reply, turning his head slightly to look out through the front window, at the finesse of colour and activity, before averting his gaze.

Kousei too, glanced through the window at Asakusa district in Taito-ku in which the currently resided. It hadn't been long since they moved from Shinagawa and its architectural glamour on the Tokyo Bay. The two areas contrasted greatly; Asakusa appeared far more old-fashioned and more religious-centric on the surface, but he remembered how deep corruption ran.

After all, it had been just under sixteen years since he had lived here last.

Till this date, he had never told his son that his wife was not the boy's birthmother. Though, at times, he wondered whether or not the other boy already knew; Satomi did after get the same treatment he was currently suffering through. Or perhaps it was just his personality, and in that case, all he could blame was the constant shifting due to his work and his own damned conscience which could so easily betray him. Or even the lax discipline, as he more often than not smothered himself in work, leaving Satomi to attempt to bring up a child who she had not conceived, all the while thinking about her own miscarriage.

'It's just a facade,' he muttered under his breath, for a moment, forgetting Kouji was in the room. 'An illusion of reality...'

'Then why bother?' Kouji's sharp voice jerked his father out of his pending reminiscence.

He turned back to his son. 'Excuse me?'

The teen gestured to the slightly darkened room adjacent to the one they were in, leading to the large basement that had been prepared.

'You said this is all a facade,' he reiterated. 'The place, the party...then why are you here? Why are you doing this?'

Kousei sighed for the third time in the space of a few minutes, for a moment cursing his son's perceptiveness.

'I have my reasons,' he answered, looking to the hallway to make somewhat sure that his wife was not within earshot.

'Which you're not going to tell me,' the other stated bluntly, his voice clipping slightly with an emotion unidentifiable.

'I am not.'

He shrugged noncommittally, showing he didn't really care either way...or perhaps he was aware of more than he let on, before stuffing both hands into his pockets and heading for the outer door.

'Where are you going?' his father asked.

'Out,' he stated simply, the doorknob turning smoothly under his touch.

Kousei groaned, putting a hand to his forehead, well aware that he had lost yet another battle. It would be rather embarrassing in most views, a father constantly losing to a son who was over twenty years his junior. However, that son being someone as difficult to deal with as Kouji somewhat lessened the humiliation.

But not by a lot, as Satomi at least managed to get him to stay in one place, which, as indicated by his son's departure, Kousei was not capable of.

'Be back in an hour,' he called after Kouji, that being all he could do. Whether the addressed would listen or not was anyone's guess. 'And stay away from Higashi-Asakusa.'

Kouji half turned in the driveway, turning to half look at his father. 'All right,' he agreed, though his tone had not altered in the least, before pivoting on his heel and walking off.

* * *

Kousei sighed and closed the door behind him, plopping onto the couch, wondering why destiny had decided to be a bitch and drop him and his son in the same place they had left sixteen years ago to escape the past echoes to a lost mother and son, down to the same house.

Husband and wife both felt a common strain, but it had been the only house currently available and adequate for a businessman of his calibre. After all, it would not do for a business tycoon such has himself to live in a shabby apartment, though it was entirely respectable for him in activities he had long deemed immoral.

Most he had ceased then; the affairs, the drinking...but some he was roped into due to his position, such as the lavish parties every other weekend, and some, despite his worst efforts, he was unable to let go of, namely smoking the cigarette that now hung loosely between his teeth.

He flicked the lighter, a small spark emerging from it, letting the stick light as he walked through the passage into the backyard. He inhaled the smoke, before letting it out through gritted teeth. The smoke, in an odd way, calmed him, as he let his eyes slide closed and took another deep breath, letting the scent fill his nostrils and throat.

He sighed a little while later, removing the burnt out cigar from his mouth, letting it drop to the floor where it was instantly stubbed by a glossy black shoe, one of the two which his foot now adorned.

As he stepped back over the threshold as a distant sound of a car's engine reached his ears, he wished that he didn't have to get through life this way, but it was at least better than the alternative.

Looking out to where his son had left, he wondered whether or not he was doing the right thing by not telling him...and by shielding him from something which in the end would be unavoidable.

Even if Kouji hated him for it.

* * *

Kouji by no means hated his father, despite the attitude he exhibited towards the said adult. It was, after all, the same attitude he exhibited to everyone else, although he still held a certain amount of respect towards those older than him, and a certain amount more towards his parents, although his demeanour never betrayed him as such. He was an immensely private person, and because of the cold attitude he exhibited and his family's constant shifting due to his father's job, friendless save for the German Sheppard who currently sat miserably in its kennel back at their new home.

He sighed, letting his footsteps carry him to some unknown location. Having moved in less than a week ago, and barely settled, he was rather unaware of the current neighbourhood. Later, it would occur to him that it was rather unwise to wander off without any sense of direction, but for now, he simply walked aimlessly.

His eyes traced the river bank along which he walked, taking in its smooth, worn surface as gentle and minute waves lapped the even earth slope, the roots of several trees, evenly spaced, holding the dirt in place.

The river water was as clear as crystal, pooling into the deep darkness, rather unlike the greenish, polluted water in Shinagawa, but it was just as unnatural, if not more. He lifted his eyes just a bit, gazing into the distance and taking in the trees lining the other side, perfect and even as if they had been carved by something, or someone.

All in all, too perfect to be natural, which only increased his suspicions about this place.

Scowling, he nudged a pebble loose from the path, picking up the loose rounded stone and balancing it on one palm, before tossing it into the water with a splash. The pebble skipped once, then twice, before sinking into the dark depths.

A few seconds later, it was as if the surface had not been disturbed at all.

The gentle wind, which he only noticed in its absence, had by now dispersed, leaving the water still and stagnant and even more unnatural in appearance.

It made him wonder how something that should be almost entirely dictated by the forces of nature could appear so unnatural, as if adorning a facade of its own.

Sighing, he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket and wandered on.

* * *

A little while later, he found himself standing amongst the ruins of a small corner of the district which was tucked away from most prying eyes. That being said, the cover had apparently not been enough to deter a wandering, and hopelessly lost now that he stopped to think about it, teenager.

By the time he had been able to admit, despite his pride, that he had no idea where he now was, there was not a single person in sight, nor any place which looked like it could help him. Indeed, the entire place looked run down, a strange odour floating in the air that made him wrinkle his nose in disgust and without recognition.

Sighing, and knowing that he was pushing his limits as the one hour was more than certainly over by now, he walked slowly skittered the outskirts, senses heightened somewhat due to the lacking presence of light, something that made him both comfortable and relieved at the same time.

He was just passing by a dark alley way though, when someone moving caught his attention. And against his better judgement, he stepped into the narrow gap.

Another boy stood there of a similar age, perhaps even to the day. He was dressed in a black shirt and pants, a black zip-up vest over it, black sneakers which looked worn for wear, and fingerless gloves which completed the blackness of the outfit. In fact, the only thing that was not black was the symbol stitched into the black vest, the only reason Kouji had noticed him in the first place, else he would have simply taken the blackness as a part of the surroundings. The symbol, one he recognised, was Kanji for 'Darkness', and coloured a dark shade of purple.

The other had his back to Kouji, apparently having not noticed the other's presence. One pale hand fingered a corner, which then allowed Kouji to realise that the alley way did not lead to a dead end as he had presumed, but rather seemed like an entrance point to a rather elaborate maze structure. It was far too dark to make out any details, but he could see the darker outlines of the corners, forming a cross-section, and a little to his left, a fork which split again further along.

'Uh...excuse me,' Kouji said, swallowing his pride to ask for directions. 'Could you tell me how to get to the Asakusa shrine?' His own home would be easy to find from there.

The other didn't reply, nor did he make any indication that he had heard him, fingers tracing the worn plaster, small flakes coming away under the gentle, yet firm, touch.

This irritated Kouji to no end, already frustrated with everything else. Ignoring common courtesy, he reach forward to seize the other's shoulder, whipping the other around to face him.

'Hey, you could at leas-' he cut himself off as his eyes registered the other's features. It was like looking into a distorted mirror, so to speak. Their facial features were near identical, although the other's skin was a sickly shade of pale, and the hair was shorter and a shade lighter, bangs hanging a bit messily over his face, half concealing his eyes. And if the likeness had not been enough to make Kouji freeze, his eyes most certainly were.

They were blue, but otherwise lifeless, blank...it was as though the other was staring _through_ him rather than at him, and it was rather eerie. As if the blank expression on his face hadn't been uncomfortable enough.

There was silence for a while. In reality, it could only have been a few minutes at most, but to Kouji, it felt like eons, while to the other, unnamed boy, it felt more a part of a dream than anything else. The two simply stared at one another, or rather, Kouji stared at the other boy, he simply staring blankly at whatever he was staring at.

'_Kokuei-kun_!'

Kouji spun around at the new voice, and the other boy turned his head slightly, but otherwise did not react. Two new boys stood at the entrance, one taller and obviously older than the two in the alley way, the other looking a year younger. They were both dressed in similar attire to the boy whom Kouji was yet to know his name, the elder's vest a dull shade of yellow, while the younger's vest was a dark brown.

'There you are!' the shorter one exclaimed. 'You shouldn't always wander off on your lone-some. _Seijin-sama_ sent us to find ya...'

The other boy nudged him with his elbow to shut him up, before turning to Kouji. 'And you are?'

Kouji matched the boy glare for glare. 'That's none of your business.'

'It is when you're invading our territory. Punks like you who always sit on their high-horses don't belong here.'

That comment sparked some interest in the otherwise cold boy. 'Here?'

The other stared at him oddly. 'Sanya. You new around here?'

The younger boy flushed slightly, embarrassed. 'Yeah...'

'And lost?' the other, younger grinned, sounding not exactly friendly. The elder one put a warning hand on his shoulder.

'Not now,' he hissed, under his breath, low enough that Kouji had not heard, before he turned back to the other two, grabbing the boy dressed in black with one hand and pulling him over gently, while glaring at Kouji with both eyes.

'Well, you'd better get out of here bandana-boy, before we give you a real _welcome_.'

Kouji didn't like the sound of that at all. Perhaps it was the glare that came from the hardened brown eyes, or the emphasis on the word. The tensed, beginning to slip into a well practiced battle stance, before the look-alike, _Kokuei_, turned to fixate him with another empty stare.

The younger boy sighed impatiently as neither of the two moved. 'Come on,' he muttered. '_Mizu-chan_ and _Kagami-kun_ are probably waiting for us.'

Kouji blinked at the odd names, breaking eye contact with the other boy. Dark shadow, water, mirror...they didn't really sound like names a mother would give the children she gave birth to, but rather nick-names. Perhaps they were...

He slipped into his battle-stance, and the eldest followed suit, the youngest pulling the last one out of the way. There wasn't really any logical reason for him to pick a fight with a complete stranger, if what the other said was true and he had invaded their territory, but his pride would not let him be spoken to, nor acted upon like thus.

The other seemed aware of that as well, smirking cockily as the dark-haired boy lashed out with a foot, reaching out to catch the kick in motion. Kouji, realising his mistake, at the last possible moment switched to a double kick, right leg just falling short of the target as he brought the left one up to strike the brunette's unprotected side.

He was fast, but so was the other, bringing the right arm down to block, then retaliating with a kick aimed to the stomach. Kouji leapt back to avoid it, backing further into the alley way as both sides were currently restricted by the narrow spacing, less than a metre width, immediately following up with a counter attack, which was immediately blocked and retaliated with.

The two exchanged blows for awhile, neither one landing any hits, while one bystander watched with something akin to excitement, while the other's face remained impassive. That is, till Kouji ducked under the other's outstretched hand and swept the other's feet out from under him.

The brunette stumbled, almost falling, as Kouji followed up with a roundhouse kick. As off balance as his opponent was, the hit connected, knocking the boy into the wall.

'_Uddo-kun_!' the younger brunette called out, just as Kouji was suddenly knocked back, the air punched out of his lungs.

'Wha..?' he gasped, because of both shock and lack of breath. The first boy stood between him and his opponent, something akin to fury in the dark depths of his blue eyes, the first emotion he had shown. That emotion alone seemed to bring life into those dead eyes, but it was something that would make even the strongest man quake in fear; even the two who knew him seemed suddenly afraid, the elder pushing himself up off the wall, grimacing at the small smear of blood he left, before putting a supportive, yet firm hand on the other boy's shoulder as the last came forward too, helping the eldest drag their charge away, who seemed to have reverted back to his lifeless persona.

'You should know better than to pick a fight in front of _Kokuei-kun_,' the younger brunette muttered to the elder as they left, just low enough for Kouji, still clutching his stomach, to hear. He raised his eyes, just as they turned, seeing symbols stitched into the vest like that of the other boys. The kanji symbol for 'Earth', olive green against the dark brown, and 'wood', a lighter shade of brown against the yellow.

'Never thought I'd here you scolding me _Daichi-kun_,' the other muttered back, before they moved out of earshot.

Kouji pushed himself to his feet soon afterwards, inwardly berating himself for getting into a fight with someone, which was, in a new neighbourhood, asking for trouble, and not asking for directions when a single opportunity had arouse.

Though he was curious about their odd behaviour. The two brunettes' overprotective nature, and the black haired boy...his eyes were chilling, their utter lack of emotion unnerving even for someone who wasn't scared easily. Someone so broken that they could only be sparked by anger...he wondered what in the world had happened to make someone, anyone like that.

This place, it was probably one of the few he had seen with no facade covering it. The failing conditions were there for everyone to see, though few ever chose to see it, and fewer still, to act upon their vision. He, Minamoto Kouji, had seen now, but he was just one human, a teenager powerless in the intricate dealings of the world. Nor was he welcome to them...but that did not mean that he would ever forget.

He walked in a direction different to that the other three had taken, stumbling slightly before picking up the pace as the pain in his gut ebbed down.

* * *

A moment later, he somehow found himself back in the colourful district of Asakusa, but somewhere unrecognizable, meaning he was still lost. He gazed around his new surroundings, spotting a small shop tucked in the corner of a large field, and he crossed over to it, seeing nobody else around.

The bell tinkled as he walked in, a soft, gentle chime that echoed in the small room. An old woman sat in an armchair, knitting green and yellow threads together in the soft light of the room. It had a friendly atmosphere, but Kouji did not relax his guard, even as the lady clicked her tongue at his slightly dishevelled appearance and set her knitting down.

'Oh dear,' she murmured softly, getting up. 'Got into a fight child...'

It wasn't really a question, and as such, warranted no answer. The woman guided him to a chair, and out of politeness, he sat as she bustled around the small shop, bringing out a cup of warm tea and a wet-rag, the former which she handed to the boy, while using the latter to wipe the caked dirt off his cheek.

Kouji, flustered slightly at someone caring for him like that, made to stand, only to be gently pushed down by the woman again.

'Drink up,' she said kindly, gesturing to the cup as she continued her work. Sighing, he did so.

'Well, doesn't look like anything is hurt,' the old lady said a little while later as Kouji set the empty ornamental mug down on a low table. 'Ah, in our youth we always seem to think that fighting is the answer to all. Reminds me of my daughter: sweet, kind, but wanting to get out from under her mother's wing...' Her voice had taken on a wistful, contemplative tone. 'She wanted to see the world; she thought of it as the images from fairytales, and sometimes I wondered whether or not I did the right thing in shielding the knowledge of how the world really was from her...but she's gone now. Died more than twenty years back.'

Kouji remained silent, staring awkwardly at his hands, folded in his lap, before jerking slightly as the old woman let out a bark of laughter. 'Oh look at me troubling you with an old woman's problems,' she said, smiling kindly at the boy. 'Where do you need to go?'

'Asakusa shrine,' he mumbled, half rising, and when not meeting any resistance this time, rising all the way.

She smiled again before giving him the much sought after directions.

As he headed for the door, he turned back, bowing low, albeit a bit stiffly.

'_Arigato gozaimasu Obaa-san_,' he mumbled, before heading out the door.

The old woman smiled, rather contentedly, settling back into her arm chair and picking up the knitting once more. 'Kids...always the same...'

* * *

Kouji, following the old lady's directions, eventually managed to find his way to Asakusa shrine, from where he followed the familiar path to his new home.

Though he was late. Very late. Something his father wasn't too happy about, but as exasperated as he was with the party in progress, didn't scold his son for, simply leading him into the basement.

After a few introductions with co-workers of his father, and one with his boss, Kouji managed to slip out of the crowd and over to the refreshment table, where he poured himself a glass of punch, the only thing that looked drinkable for someone his age.

The atmosphere was suffocating, heavy with intoxication. The music was beating into his eardrums, and people simply scattered themselves around, dancing, drinking or the likes. He noticed his father standing at the edge, quietly conversing with one of the few people whom it appeared had not indulged in alcohol, as it seemed even the few children of certain couples had managed to get their hands on a drink or two.

Kouji was well used to such parties, so he should have remembered that the punch normally has liberal amounts of alcohol in it before he brought the brimming cup to his lips, but apparently, had forgotten, or else hadn't been intending to drink it, at least until someone unfamiliar clamped onto his back, causing him to choke on his drink.

Spluttering, dignity forgotten, he spun around, glaring at the pretty black-haired teen as she let go of him.

'Wanna dance?' she asked him, tongue rolling awkwardly over the words. He turned properly, taking a good look at her, black hair pooling down her shoulders in elegant swirls, and dressed in a short, red dress which fanned out just above her knees, black shoes topping it off.

'N-' he began to say, only to be cut off by a random business associate, who, looking like he had had one drink too many, shoved the poor boy into the arms of the girl who was at least two years his senior.

'Come on Minamoto_-kun_,' he slurred. 'Liven up a little.'

Scowling now that he was trapped, he allowed himself to be lead to the dance floor. The girl at least did the steering, her body swaying in time with the music, her hands somewhat clumsily guiding his body to do the same. Knowing it was pointless to resist, he followed her lead, although he was far from happy about it, and it showed in his disgruntled expression, not that his partner noticed.

Already, he could feel his head getting heavier, only then remembering the punch he had drowned, and he was cursing whoever spiked it due to the headache he was bound to have when waking up the following morning.

His first day at Asakusa High as well. Joy.

And then he cursed the girl leading him in a second dance, hands wrapping around him and running down his spine rather suggestively. Or woman, as she was obviously over legal age.

* * *

'So,' the father sighed, rubbing his temples and looking at his son once the guests had finally left sometime around midnight. 'Enjoy it?'

'No,' the addressed replied bluntly. 'And neither did you.'

He didn't answer. It was the truth after all.

'Why do it?' he asked again.

And once again, he gained no answer.

'Later Kouji,' Kousei sighed. 'Much later...'

* * *

**Translations:**

_Kokuei_ – silhouette/dark shadow

NOTE: It is just a nickname that the others use to call _him_, though I'm sure you can guess what his real name is

_-kun_ – a suffix one normally uses to call a young boy (or sometimes a young girl with a boyish name) who they are close to, like a friend

_Seijin_ – holy man

_-sama_ – a suffix added as a sign of respect, more respectful than _-san_. The use of it shows a great deal of respect towards someone

_Mizu_ – water

NOTE: Another nickname

_-chan_ – a suffix normally used to call a young girl they are close to (or somebody really close to you, like a younger brother).

_Kagami_ – mirror

NOTE: Another nickname

_Uddo_ – wood

NOTE: Another nickname

_Daichi_ – ground/earth/the solid earth

NOTE: Another nickname

Obviously, they have their real names, which you'll find out in the next chapter (I think), but they really don't mean that much to them. After all, none of them live with their parents, nor did they for the life they remember, so their birth names aren't really that important to them. So they use the names their 'adoptive' parents gave them.

_Arigato gozaimasu_ – thank you (to someone who you are not really close to. To closer people, you'd say _Arigato_)

_Obaa_ – grandmother (also used to address an old woman respectfully')

_-san_ – a suffix normally used as a sign of respect


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes**

For the record, I'm blaming Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell. It's one of the exam texts, so its not like I really had a choice in the matter. But that is my one and pretty much only source of knowledge for the description that shows up later in this chapter. And anyone who's read it will know why it came out so twisted. That book's twisted. And I have to write a pretty good two hour long essay on that too. Joy. (that last bit was sarcasm by the way)

Thank you to Kaito Lune for sticking with me from the start, as well as anybody I don't know. Though out of curiosity's sake, are there any other opinions floating around, 'cause I'd love to hear them.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Digimon.

So please R&R.

* * *

**Yami no Tenshi, Hikari no Akuma**

He was just a new student in a new district, trying to fit in. He wondered exactly what he or someone else had done to attract so much unwanted attraction, eventually finding himself trapped in a social paradox...where the wrong decision could be deadly.

Kouji M & Kouichi K

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Shinto shrines were quite common in the Taito-ku, thus the small temple not ten minutes from the outskirts of Sanya, more commonly referred to by those outside the area as Higashi-Asakusa, was rather inconspicuous. The priest who ran it was a man of about 42 years, having a distinctly Asian heritage though not appearing to be entirely Japanese. Black hair was not uncommon amongst the Japanese, nor was tying it back in a ponytail so it hung down his back, though blue eyes were not so common, and the combination of blue and hazel which made the orbs appear almost the colour of shallow water, clear with the algae beneath the surface, yet the slight murkiness still apparent to those who wished to see it, were rare. Not even his younger sister, the only living family that remained, had eyes of that colour; hers were a deeper blue, reflecting the ocean depths.

She, that is, the sister, managed the adjacent orphanage with her husband. It was not uncommon for orphanages to be found in conjunction to temples, as the priests themselves generally aided in their development, both in terms of religion and other basic skills such as reading, writing and various martial arts.

The three lived in that building, along with the children they had managed to pick up over the 18 years the vicinity had been running. It was a rather old-fashioned dual floored structure, blending in with the surrounding ones as it attained no decoration which set it apart. Even as size distinguished one from the other, this particular structure around about twice the size of a regular double story house, consecutively arranged, it was difficult to distinguish one from another from the triplets in which the neighbouring houses were arranged. Indeed, unless one knew where to go, it would be rather difficult to pick out a single one to have a function different to the others.

The building and the shrine were both established on a rather large piece of land which had been passed from father to son for generations. The shrine too, had been running for generations, though the orphanage had been a newer touch, extending and renovating the old family home to mould it into the structure it was today.

And the underground establishment had been running for generations as well. Though what occurred was only found out through later recounts.

The estate was called the Venus Rose, perhaps because the rose trees grew around the _Torii_, intertwining with the steel structure of the gate which extended, and flowering merrily in the Spring. The roses were white, pink, yellow and red, and many children passing through, and some older as well, picked the flowering roses for a friend, or a beloved one. New flowers always grew to replace those lost, and in the chilly winter, the petals fell and bathed the footpath with a warm brown till new buds sprouted in Spring.

The place had natural beauty; calm, serene...the colours of the building structures blending in nicely with the natural landscape. It appeared a place of tranquillity and peace, much like the surrounding area, yet the inner environment could not be more different.

The ground floor was rather inconspicuous, containing the living quarters of the family, as well as the kitchen, living room, laundry, and the huge library which had added many books to its collection since its beginnings. The upper floor contained the bedrooms, the west wing divided from the rest which contained two large rooms, relatively the size of a dormitory and with the same structure as well, one in which the boys slept while the other was left for the girls. The ones who stayed in there were not permanent residents, staying for days, sometimes weeks at a time before returning to the streets of Sanya for awhile before returning again. Some returned quite regularly, others never returned again, finding either a way out of their predicament, or else being unable to do so. For them, it was a sanctuary, a safe house to return to from their lives on the streets. Though, like a safe house, they never stayed permanently.

Some would have loved to stay forever, but it was a political thing, really. After all, the outer circles were unaware of the existing sanctuary, or the rising threat to them as some sought revenge on the wealthier and corrupt sector of Asakusa. Thus, it was necessary to maintain that front, and that included the deprived orphans littering the streets of Sanya, many resorting to illegal, and for the most part, immoral activities to keep alive, some opportunities that others of a so-called more prestige background were more than happy to exploit.

The west wing had four bedrooms, one larger than the other three which was shared by two people, the others only slightly smaller and housing one person each. The five had been raised there for the most part, one of which was only surviving son (step-son really) of the priest himself and who had taken his real father's surname, or rather, had not cared to change it.

He was the eldest, only a week away from eighteen and adulthood. His name, that is, his birth name, was Kobayashi Katsuharu, though like the others, he went more often by his nick-name, _Uddo_, in the company of his family; after all, as close as those five were, they were, for all means and purposes save blood, family to one another.

The youngest was Yamaguchi Teppei who had just turned fifteen, known more commonly to the others as _Daichi_. As his nickname suggested, he was rather reckless, and not the type to use skill over strength which tended to get him into more trouble than he could cope with at any given time.

Then there were the two who shared, Nakagawa Teruo and Shimizu Chiaki, both of who were sixteen, dubbed _Kagami_ and _Mizu_ respectively. Being around four boys almost all her life, it was expected that she would eventually wind up getting together with one of them. They weren't legally married; there was no point in such formalities while the definition of a married relationship was so surely abused in the wider community. And in any case, sixteen was a tad bit young for such a vow. Though in context, the lack of such made little difference in the inner circles; it was only outside that people were unaware of their relationship.

The last was Kimura Kouichi, who the patron, thirty-two year old Shuntoku Jihika, named after finding his mother on the brink of death and the child getting there. She had told the other woman about the father and the other, slightly younger, child, hence the name, and she had begged her to take the child, not wanting him to waste away while the other grew. She did so, and he became the last member of the five, being dubbed _Yami_ at a young age due to his quiet, though influential nature. But then things had changed.

None of the five were currently present, Kouichi having wandered off a few hours earlier, and the other four eventually being sent out to fetch him. Thus, the golden-brown haired woman took the opportunity to straighten the boy's room, having not had the chance the previous day as he had remained in it for the duration, save when it was necessary for him to leave his self-contained sanctuary.

The room was dark, heavy curtains hanging over the wide windows to the north of the room, overlooking the shrine, the garden, and in the distance, the river. The lack of natural light gave the room a rather shadowy appearance, more pronounced with the grey walls and the black furniture. There was barely any colour visible, the decor of the room mostly monochrome, save the golden frame on his desk which contained the only surviving photo of his mother, and a silver one beside it which contained his friends back when he was only five years old. And the school textbooks currently not in use, those which were still in his backpack.

She hummed to herself as she tidied up, dusting the photo frames and tidying the bed. Considering the room's normal occupant was not present, she had opened up the curtains, and the windows, to let in some fresh air and the afternoon light, the last rays of the sun as it began to set on the horizon.

The room itself felt rather strange. Once, it had been calm and peaceful, even if its decor had rarely changed over the years. Nowadays, it flickered between nothing and everything almost as much as it flickered between tidiness and a complete mess. And even as he spent days shut off at a time, the room seemed to barely reflect the fact that someone remained; the level of disarray the same as if one had slept for only a few hours in it.

As such, there wasn't really much cleaning up required, and just as she was finishing up, she was interrupted by a small, feminine voice, slightly high-pitched from both youth and a nerve-rattling.

'Shuntoku-_sama_?' she whispered, hovering at the doorframe as though reluctant to come in. She looked to be in her early teens, but tall and slender, shapely enough to appear at least sixteen when she held herself in a more mature way. Currently, her hands were curled around the doorframe, shaking freely along the parallel, and her body hunched over slightly so that her hair, out of its usual bun, fell to about a foot off the floor. Her eyes were a brown so dark they appeared almost black, and could be rather enchanting when the need arose, the dark circles under her eyes highlighting that, though at the time they were slightly teared.

She wore a mostly purple gown which fell past her feet and was slit to one side which ran up to half way up her thigh. From just above her waistline was a mostly transparent zip which ran up to just under her arm, the top knotted tightly behind her neck in a bow fashion while the sleeves, with the shoulders exposed, came up to her arms and were wide enough to fall almost to her knees from her position. Beneath her gown, she wore a black, skin-tight jumpsuit; plain black, with the zipper in easy reach, underlying that of her gown, with casual black slippers on her feet.

The one she addressed, Shuntoku Jihika, straightened up, setting the feathered duster down on the table she had been hunched over. Her own full length sky blue dress fell gracefully as she straightened, the ends fluttering gently in the breeze of the currently open windows. Underneath the blue was another layer, white and as pure as the snow, frilling slightly and parting at the feet to show custom-made, baby blue slippers on her feet. Wavy golden brown hair fell past her waist, her fringes clipped back with brown hair pins, falling into layers on her back.

'Hai Shitsuren-_chan_?' she asked kindly.

The girl, Shitsuren Kurai, let go of the doorframe and came over, like a child seeking comfort. The woman swept her into her arms, the young teenager burying her face into the other's dress, clutching the fine blue with her pale hands. To the outsider, they just looked like mother and child, but in reality, they were far from it. Familial ties meant little in that society, easily torn apart, although to a select few, those still holding on to something, or having lost all else, it mattered. To most, having grown away from that, blood ties were either obstacles or nothing. To those who hadn't, memories lingered and haunted them.

Her mother had died when she had been six, and she had been forced to witness the murder. Eight years later, she was still forced to carry out the same activities that had taken her mother's life at the climax, all the while locking her memories away so they infringed her darker dreams while her heart was able to weep without the barriers she forced upon it in the outer world. Such was the way of life in those parts; a sign of weakness meant a warrant for death. And the only way for a woman in those parts to live was to be a tool for pleasure for superior men. And the only way to survive such action was to take pleasure in it. It was, after all, the only defence mechanism against force: free will.

She was fourteen, far too young, but was always the underage girls in the business that were most appealing. For five years, she had been forced to hold out on her own, going through the torturous activities; hating them, but at the same time enjoying them and desiring more. It became a drug, an addiction, something she could not live without, which was why when she had finally been given a way out, she had not taken it, for the sakes of all involved. She could barely survive for a week without involvement; it had gotten to the point where only the meaningless passion could save her from her living hell. So easily she always fell from the nightmare-terrorised child to a street whore, should one want to be so blunt.

But there were times when she needed to cry, when she needed to release the tension by some other means. The raw passion was nothing now save animalistic desire; it was emotion that was humanity.

Jihika understood this, coming across such cases more often than she would like. Unable to have children herself, she mothered those who came under her wing, let it be for only a few days or the five that permanently remained. And while she agreed with her brother on his motives, the methods perhaps she had some doubts about, but a mass rebellion would not work with the majority ruling, and a natural change was too much to ask for. As much as she regretted it, corrupting the corruption seemed the only viable solution.

And so comfort seemed the only thing she could offer, and so she did, nestling the teenage girl in her arms. For a few minutes at least, she, Kurai, could cry to her heart's content.

* * *

'You're an idiot, you know that?'

'Like you aren't. 'sides, you've mentioned it like fifty times already.'

'Fifty-one.'

The two brunettes snapped their hands around to stare at the dark haired boy they were dragging along. He certainly didn't look as though he had spoken, though he must have, as neither of the others had done so, and the streets were deserted.

'You counted?' the shorter haired one asked incredulously, only to receive no reply. He opened his mouth again, quite possibly to annoy the other boy to hell before he gave an answer, which should have only taken a couple of hours at most, only to be interrupted by both an elbow to his ribs, courtesy of the elder brunette, and a female voice yelling across the street.

'Oi! Yamaguchi!' she yelled. 'When I say half an hour, I mean half an hour!'

'Oh, that bites,' the addressed moaned, hand over his heart. 'The name I so willingly cast aside coming back to haunt me.'

The girl grinned. '_Daichi_-_kun_ then.'

She was a rather pretty girl, having warm brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair, a shade darker than the two boys and currently knotted up tightly and pinned up with a water lily clip. She wore a vest like the others, light blue, with the symbol of water stitched on the back, under which she wore a white blouse and black mini-skirt. Currently, she had her hands, covered in black, fingerless gloves, on her hips while glaring at the three boys in front of her, though a light smirk graced her rather attractive features.

The boy beside her laughed merrily, dressed similarly to the other boys, the vest coloured white and bottle green. 'I take it you're not at fault this time _Daichi-kun_?' he quipped, his brown eyes sparkling in amusement. ''Tis unlikely,' he added as an afterthought, in English and mimicking a Shakespearian accent.

'Certainly not,' the other replied in fake indignation, not unperturbed by the sudden switch in dialect, and choosing to remain speaking in Japanese. 'My bad record is yet to be tarnished for this hour.'

'Oh yes,' the girl laughed. 'An hour mischief free is so great an achievement, especially since you pranked poor Aiko-_chan_ just before. Sent the five year old bawling to _Okaa-san_ when you tied her shoe-laces together.'

The boy rolled his eyes. 'Ah _Mizu-chan_, you know _Daichi-kun_ can't stay out of trouble.'

The girl, identified as _Mizu_, or rather, Shimizu Chiaki as was her birth name, laughed in agreement. 'True enough _Kagami-kun_,' she consented. 'Though that doesn't tell us which of the two remaining is at fault this time.'

'Hey,' said Katsuharu. 'What makes you think somebody was causing trouble?'

'Maybe because _Koukei-kun_'s fist is red,' she replied, indicating the said hand of the boy who, for their lack of movement, was listlessly staring into space, or rather appeared to be doing so to the outside observer. 'Not to mention he's glaring holes into thin air. He get mad?'

'My fault,' the wood symbol-bearer resigned, knowing where the only female of their quintlet was going. 'Some kid was invading our territory and wouldn't leave.'

'Ah,' the boy laughed. 'So it wasn't your fault after all _Daichi-kun_.'

'What?' the other asked in mock hurt. 'You didn't believe me?'

'As I said,' _Kagami_, or Teruo as his given name was, shrugged. 'T'was unlikely.'

'Ah, the Shakespearian accent again.'

'Bo-oys,' Chiaki drew out, catching three of the four's attention, god knowing where the last one's was, with her near scolding tone. 'We're already late.'

'Does that mean I'm spared the lecture?' their unofficial leader asked hopefully, as they set off.

'In your dreams,' the other snorted, and then the famous Chiaki tirade, as known at least to the remaining four, began, with the one on the receiving end face-palming his head at his idiocy in having reminded her.

* * *

She was just exiting the room when she heard the raised voices, accompanied by pounding footsteps on the nearest flight of stairs.

Having lived with them for quite some time, between fourteen and sixteen years depending on the person in question, she knew quite well what the raised voices meant.

And she didn't know whether to count that as a blessing or a curse.

'All right,' she sighed, as the four teenagers came into view. 'What happened? And why haven't you gotten your head patched up yet?' That question was directed towards the elder boy, whose wound was still covered with sticky blood, which till this moment, none had realised.

Frowning slightly, he raised a hand to the offending area, the one he found had been bothering him in its itchiness for a while, only to find the forming scabs to give way under his fingertips. Experimentally, he prodded the area, wincing when his exploring fingers came into contact with the wound while examining it as best as he could without being able to physically see it.

Jihika sighed and slipped downstairs, before returning to the slightly awkward silence with the antiseptic and bandage. After a bit of complaining, scolding, teasing and more yelling (the last courtesy of the brunette girl who was yet to finish her tirade), Katsuharu's head wound was patched up and their guardian had been brought up to speed.

'_Uddo-kun_,' she began, in a slightly scolding manner, before changing direction. 'Where's _Koukei-kun_?'

The four looked at each other, before staring behind them. 'He was right behind us,' Teppei said dumbly, before being whacked behind the head by the eldest brunette.

'Well, he's obviously not there anymore.' The other rolled his eyes in annoyance. 'He probably went downstairs.'

In the basement of their building, there was a crypt made especially for those who had passed away and the body taken out of their hands, or left in them. Kimura Tomoko was buried there, or rather the urn that contained her ashes, as they followed the custom Japanese tradition of cremating their dead. So if he had entered the house, yet not come upstairs, that was the most likely place for Kouichi to be.

* * *

Indeed, that was where he was, as Jihika found him staring at the grave of his mother ten minutes later, after she had sorted out the remaining four and sent them off to their required destinations. The boy was staring at the shadowed grave, his face showing no expression, something he had built up as a defence mechanism to block out what he didn't want to think about, or feel.

He hadn't always been like this, she remembered. The five had grown up together, naming themselves after the elements which represented them best and bonding together like few ever did, regardless of blood ties; to them, they were blood, and nothing could ever change that, they had even made a blood promise one day amongst the autumn cherry blossom leaves.

He had been darkness, _Yami_, for his gentle and quiet disposition and uncanny ability to slip in and out of things without being seen accompanied by a rather sharp perception which had not exactly dulled, but was rather overlooked, of late.

Because of his disposition, he had rarely gotten mad at others, causing the others, in turn, to act as his mediator of sorts. Others, especially his classmates at school, took advantage of that, and finding the young boy an easy target, began playing games to test how far he could be pushed.

The passive ones are always the most deadly when they're eventually pushed past their breaking point, and he was no exception, and when he had finally snapped, the result had left those who witnessed it petrified, himself included.

The repercussions resulted in him retreating into a self-made cask, blocking himself off from the world, bit by bit, becoming more like the shadow easily overlooked by all, and even when not, rarely seen except by those who wished him, good or ill, than the darkness he had been named after. For the most part, he existed in his own little world, almost independent of the world outside...but even through that, he remembered his friends, his family, and their hurt was able to strike him while not much else could. _Yami_ no longer fit him, so they had taken to calling him _Koukei_, dark shadow, and in a sense, that was what he had become, tucking away the true Kouichi in the darker recedes which were rarely reached.

He mostly existed in two separate persona; it was the only way he was able to function. Normally, he drifted about like a ghost, passing through school, and often, home, without others noticing, but when the need arose, for example if the _Seijin-sama_ required his assistance in something, for the most part that was attaining information though occasionally it was nudging along the course of revenge by other means, or the ultimate goal they currently remained ignorant of, his behaviour became cold, precise...but still the emotions stewed inside, bursting out like an overflowing dam at times, so someone was sure to keep an eye on him to make sure no-body else got hurt.

He himself no longer cared for much else; his grades had slipped to the point of almost failing and he had to be dragged to most places, the maze of inner Sanya and the crypt in which he was now being the two exceptions, because the bond between mother and child was stronger even than the blood promise the five had made to one another, and one way or another, he found himself thinking about her, while at the same time knowing the huge hole in his heart still needed to be filled.

He knew what had happened to his mother, and he resented the man he could not call his father because of it. But the child, the younger one, while he was compelled to feel hatred towards him, he wasn't sure if he really did. In the turmoil his emotions were currently in, he did not trust them, and despite the sharpness of his vision, he chose not to see much outside his inner world.

Though he would soon, seeing as their meeting was inevitable.

'Kouichi?' she asked, using the name she had given him over the nick-name more commonly used, coming up to the boy who had kept his back to her, despite her surety that he had heard her arrival with his keen hearing. Whether he had registered it or not was another story...

He didn't reply, nor did he give any indication to have heard, his eyes fixated on the graphite stone which made up the grave in front of which he stood.

She sighed inaudibly, knowing there was no point in lecturing him. He would hear, but he would not listen as the words never registered; one of the reasons why they had been unsuccessful in bring the old him back to the forefront.

'Why do you always come here?' she asked instead. Sometimes the simpler questions elicited a response.

He half-shrugged. 'Something's missing...' he murmured vaguely, eyes flicking to her before turning back.

'You're thinking about him again?'

He shook his head after the silence stretched for so long that the older woman had almost given up awaiting a response.

'Then what?'

This time she received no answer at all.

She sighed again, before seizing the boy's upper arm and steering him towards the door. 'Well, you can't stay down here, you'll freeze to death. Go upstairs.'

She pushed him a few more paces before he moved of his own violation, but before he could go more than a few paces distant, she grabbed his hand.

For a moment, they both looked down, seeing the warm, tan skin clash with the cold and pale one. The hand shivered slightly, and Jihika supposed some of her warmth must have transferred to his skin, before which the other had not even been aware of the cold.

'You're not helping yourself like this,' she whispered to him, using her other hand to raise the other's chin up so that their eyes met. 'You should follow your emotions rather than rejecting them.'

His hand slipped from hers, whether it had been him or her who let go, she would never know, but the next second, he had vanished, presumably through the door.

And she wondered if he had listened, and if he had, if he would obey.

After all, the message had been relayed countless times by other words and by other voices, though their effect was mostly wasted.

But perhaps he just had to resolve his own inner turmoil first.

* * *

**Translations:**

_Torii_ – Shinto gate of the Shrine

_Yami_ – darkness

**Name meanings:**

_Shuntoku_ – great virtue

_Kenmei_ – prudence/caution

_Jihika_ – flower of mercy

_Tenjin_ – Celestial Being

_Seidai _– fairness/justice

_Kobayashi _– forest

_Katsuharu_ – ?

_Yamaguchi_ – mountain

_Teppei_ – ?

_Nakagawa_ – middle river

_Teruo_ – shining man

_Shimizu_ – pure water

_Chiaki_ – thousand autumns/bright lights

_Kimura – _tree village

_Kouichi_ – first light/shine/child/happiness

_Shitsuren_ – broken heart

_Kurai_ – darkness

_Aiko_ – child of love

From the previous chapters:

_Tomoko_ – friendly child

_Minamoto_ – source, origin

_Kouji_ – second light/shine/child/happiness

_Kousei_ – navigation/life

_Satomi_ – wise beauty

**Notes:**

Shuntoku Jihika is based off Ophanimon, and is Tenjin Seidei's younger sister and Shuntoku Kenmei's wife. Seidei is based off Seraphimon, and Kenmei is based off Cherubimon.

Their land is named after the Venus Rose (Rose Morning Star in the English dub), though it's appearance isn't really parallel to that.

Can anyone guess who Shitsuren Kurai and Aiko are based off? Hint, Kurai is based off a digimon from Savers/Data Squad, and I believe also appears in Xros Wars. The description should be enough. And she's a bit important later on, basically for nudging the plot along. Aiko is based off a digimon in frontier, though it appears in the first two seasons as well, as one of the forms of one of the chosen's digimon partner.

You'll get the stories as to why those five in particular remain there permanently as opposed to the other orphans and homeless kids. In the end, it really just comes down to what they can give. And you'll get the back story of the three adults as well, eventually.

And that change in Kouichi quite recent, so that hasn't being going on all that long, but still long enough to be a problem. About a few months give or take I suppose.

And if anyone knows the name meanings for Katsuharu, Teppei and Junpei, could you tell me please? Because I'm curious to know that.


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes**

Finally finished with my last one 'bout three hours ago.

And here's the next chapter.

Keep in mind that Kouji changed schools in the middle of a school year. Thus the school he came from and the new school, Asakusa High, while having the same curriculum, are at different stages in progression in different subjects as different teachers are teaching different students. So while Kouji's ahead in some classes, he's behind in others, and on par with everybody else in some.

* * *

**Yami no Tenshi, Hikari no Akuma**

He was just a new student in a new district, trying to fit in. He wondered exactly what he or someone else had done to attract so much unwanted attraction, eventually finding himself trapped in a social paradox...where the wrong decision could be deadly.

Kouji M & Kouichi K

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Shimizu Chiaki entered her friend's room without knocking; she never did, nor did any of the other three for that matter. It was a sort of normal tradition; _Koukei_ as they called him was a late riser to compensate for his near-insomniac sleeping patterns. In fact, it wasn't unusual for him to lie through the night, observing nothing but the blank ceiling while his mind wandered, only to embrace the sleep which hovered, or was held, just out of reach when the faint light began to rise from the horizon and filter through the black blanket which was the night sky.

As predicted, she found him curled in a corner of his bed, under the blankets and head burrowed into the pillow. Something glimmered between his lashes in the faint morning light, something she knew without having to identify as the traces of dream (or nightmare as some would say) induced tears.

After all, one did not live with another for fifteen years without observing certain things.

Smiling slightly, albeit sadly, she went over to the bed, removing the covers from the body and placing a hand on the prone shoulder.

'Come on _Koukei-kun_,' she murmured gently, as she had for the last three months. 'Wake up.'

The boy shifted slightly and mumbled something under his breath, causing the slight smile to turn into a frown as she recognized the phrase.

_That bastard,_ she thought viciously, and not for the first time. _What sort of father leaves their own child out of choice?_

But for the other's sake, knowing how the pain of rejection by his own flesh and blood stewed amongst his own feared anger and hate, she quelled it, shaking the other again.

'_Koukei-kun_, time to wake up.'

Then she withdrew her hand as the blue eyes opened blurrily, still somewhat caught in his dream. Though it only took a moment for him to snap into reality...or rather, his reality.

He blinked his tears away, a single drop falling into the pillow as he sat up to gaze distantly at the dim light filtering through the curtains.

_Mizu_, her job done, turned to leave after a 'good morning' which received no reply. Not that she had expected one; none had received for months now.

'We'll be leaving for school in half an hour,' she informed the other as she stepped through the threshold. 'Be ready by then.'

He made a non-committal noise in response, but by habit he would be ready at the required time. He always was, even if there was no force behind the will, though sometimes breakfast was forgone as his mind soared far beyond his body.

Beyond the cracks of the curtain he spied a crow flying. Haphazardly it zoomed through the darkness-clouded air, plummeting a few feet before regaining its balance only to plummet again.

Sighing silently and almost nostalgically to himself, he moved from the bed, the routine having been set and cemented long before so that his concentration was not required to delegate the simple tasks ahead of him.

And his mind returned to the crow, and almost wistfully he wondered how it would be like to fly with broken wings.

* * *

The first thing which registered in Kouji's brain upon awakening was the dull yet insistent throbbing in the back of his mind. That alone was enough to get him into a worse mood than normal, and then there was the fact that it was his first day at a new school.

But considering he was barely in a 'good' mood, it made little difference from the outsider's perspective.

The morning passed by uneventfully, with few words exchanged and the accompanied breakfast with its usual awkwardness, before Kouji found himself almost unwillingly driven to school He would have much rather walked, but didn't care enough to voice his opinion, thus a ten minute endurance found himself standing alone in front of the gates of Asakusa High School, with no clue as to where to go and absolutely no intention of asking, considering the blow the previous attempt dealt to his pride.

Of course, the only other option was to wander aimlessly, seeing as there was no neon sign flashing in regards to the location of the student office. Luckily for him, his systematic method of checking each building at a time allowed him to stumble upon the said office about fifteen minutes later, slipping through the double doors just seconds before the bell rang signalling the start of a new school day.

He was rather unimpressed of the half he had currently seen of the school. It was your average public high school, inconspicuous with a rather mundane decor, grey walls with the edges lined in navy blue, white ceilings, pale blue doors, indigo lined windows and notices on every other board he passed: timetables, bulletins, auditions and the likes. Quite ordinary, like the rest of the district, with the glamour failing to hide the humdrum (and in some cases sullied by corruption) skin beneath, so why did he get the feeling that something here was soon going to change his life, and his outlook on it, forever?

* * *

After a brief exchange with the overly cheerful guidance counsellor, he received his new schedule and found himself trailing behind the strawberry blonde woman as she led him to a class in a building he had already passed on his little journey, for lack of a better term. He'd found himself in similar situations times before, so the experience was nothing new to him as he waited outside as the guidance counsellor had a few words with the elderly balding man inside, his form teacher, before gesturing him to enter.

He did so, scanning over the class and its occupants with disinterest before making his way to the front of the room.

It was a basic room, decorated with only the barest decorations; it was to be expected, after all, who wasted effort in decorating a senior's form room when only a maximum of three classes a day were spent in it, and those with little to no interest in the surroundings, with more attention focused on either the course in progress, or their social lives.

The standard explanation took place after that, explaining why a new student was joining the class two weeks into term, as he stood still in front of the class, his body relaxed yet tense beneath the school uniform, giving the others the initial impression of him being someone one does not wish to mess around with.

The piercing blue eyes scanned over the assortment of students; two brunettes at the front were staring at him and giggling, most likely smitten by his handsome features, and would no doubt be even more so did that scowl not grace the said face. Beside them was another girl, this one with blonde hair which tumbled gracefully past her shoulder blades, who pointedly ignored the two she sat beside, but still expressed a degree of interest in the new student's arrival, and appearance. On her other side were another group of girls, who occupied their attention much like the two in the corner, and so Kouji did not spare them much of a glance as a whole.

Behind the girls was a group of boys, mostly a mix of black haired and brunettes; the sporty, tough, jealous type, some of whom seemed none too thrilled at how the new student had managed to wow their "girlfriends" with so little expended effort, yet not willing to do anything, whether that be because of the strength he radiated or the teacher which glared from behind them was anybody's guess, but they remained still, and though far from friendly, not to the extent of retaliating in jealousy.

The other corner was however an interesting one, and occupied the most of his attention. Another brunette was there, goggles on his forehead, and leaning none to worriedly back on his chair, balancing on two legs. His eyes, unlike the scorn from the other boys', or the apathy in his own, radiated a sense of innocent naivety and playfulness, and it seemed a permanent smile had been carved into his face.

The only reason he had caught the other's attention though, regardless, was the empty desk beside him. One of the only two in the room, which meant that there was a 50% likelihood that that particular desk was his designated spot.

Joy...he thought sarcastically. He didn't even know the kid and he was already annoyed with him.

The next duo of desks were occupied by a brunette pair, a girl and a boy who looked to be the same age, but otherwise in no way related. There wasn't anything terribly interesting about the pair, save the disinterest in which they regarded him, if they indeed did at all, so he would have passed them over if it hadn't been for the almost identical vests cast behind their chairs, the indigo symbol of water clearly visible on aqua background as the girl leaned forward in her seat.

The symbol reminded him of the three boys from the previous day, and he couldn't help but wonder if this girl was the _Mizu-chan_ another had mentioned.

The other boy was leaning back on his seat, so if there was indeed a symbol on the white vest, he couldn't see it.

Beside them was another duo of desks, the last in the row, so the side one was against the left wall, above which was a wide-pane window. The seat next to the wall was occupied, but the one beside the occupant was not, the other possible seat he may be placed in.

The boy who sat there was staring listlessly out the window, so his face was turned away from the front, and even then, submerged mostly in a light shadow. Consequently, it took a moment for his, Kouji's that is, mind to register his identity, defining him as one of the three he had 'met' the previous day. The silent one, the one the other two had called _Koukei_. Dark Shadow...it seemed a fitting name from first impression; even as the teacher spoke, he paid no heed, as if the sound had not even reached his ears.

He acted more as a shadow than as a human, but that didn't seem to change the fact that there was something rather unsettling about him.

His gaze returned to the front of the room, having taken about a minute, two at most, to survey the class, as the teacher stopped talking and directed focus to him for an introduction.

'My name is Minamoto Kouji,' he said flatly with a stiff bow, indiscreetly directed more to the aisle which separated the desks as opposed to the students seated at them, being used to the standard introduction that followed new schools and meetings with new associates of his father, or associated associates as some were. 'It's nice to meet all of you.'

There was a sense of politeness in his tone, the Japanese custom, but also a sense of emptiness, though only the truly observant would have placed it. He straightened, only for his eyes, along with those of the majority of the class, to be directed back to the far corner beside the window, and the almost identical blue eyes staring back at him.

The other, the one who until then had barely reacted, and assuming the reactions of the rest, was quite normal in occurrence, was staring at him in a mixture of shock and anger. His mouth hung slightly open, and his eyes held a strange spark amidst the mental fogginess which clouded it, a cross between the anger he had witnessed the day before, and hope, the sentiments of which melded over each other and formed the general picture of confusion, epitomised by the slightly glistening (so slight, that only one staring directly into the blue depths with enough focus to discern the minute change in light could note) murkiness which symbolised more the tainted water in which one washed the paint off their brush than much else.

A slightly strangled sound escaped from his throat as he stared at the other, but save that, no movement or sound escaped as though the two were trapped in a moment of time, as their similarities in terms of facial attributes, became more pronounced to those around them, as numerous gazes flickered from one to the other and then back again.

Then the seated boy turned his head slightly, and the spell was broken. The class, save the back row, settled back into its usual atmosphere as the home-room teacher directed his newest pupil to his assigned seat, the one next to the boisterous brunette.

He supposed that was better than the alternative.

Though that reaction to his name served to further amplify his confusion, an emotion he certainly did not appease.

* * *

His eyes lazily surveyed the green grass outside, laced carefully with a yellow-brown and littered slightly with fallen leaves; green, yellow, red and brown, and other foliage. Distantly, as if more a dream than a reality, and indeed for him his dreams were more a reality than realism was, he could hear voices echo, but it was though there was a barrier, a black hole, between those voices, and him.

Then something pierced the cloud, and he snapped to attention.

_Minamoto..? How..?_

Then their eyes met.

Apart from their eyes, which being the windows to the soul, told different stories, and the hair, his a shade lighter and shoulder length as opposed to the darker and longer ponytail, the two faces were identical.

The thoughts that followed, spurned by the still lingering dream and overall the memories that the surname had prompted, were overall rather bitter.

After all, his father had just left him and his mother to die.

But that still didn't answer the question as to why a boy of similar age to himself, with the same surname as the said father (and one uses the term quite loosely, seeing as though he was neither joined to man by law, or by upraising seeing as it was Jihika majorly who was responsible for that, and the children he grew up with, so for all contexts of the term save being the one who had contributed half his genes into the other's blueprint, he was no father to him) bore such a resemblance.

Unless they were related, and he had taken one child in favour of the other...

...or they weren't, and he was jumping to conclusions. After all, he couldn't trust his emotions and instinct enough to, especially hacking undeniable proof. Or perhaps it was simply his unwillingness to face them...

But the name, _Kouji_, second son, and that _face_...

He looked away from the other, tilting his head slightly to break eye contact.

He didn't want to deal with this now. Heck, he didn't want to deal with it ever...but he knew one day he would have to.

He couldn't keep running away.

And even in the mental fogginess he had drowned himself in to escape from all negativity; the pain, the anger, the hatred which had consumed him, and the grief that followed the aftershock, he could not fully escape.

But having locked himself away in the small cocoon of his own individual world which inevitably, from time to time, leaked into the outer world, he would have to dismantle that fortress first.

Or else someone, or something else, would do so for him.

And whatever ending that resulted in, one thing could be sure. It wouldn't be good for him.

* * *

Perhaps it was because of the shock, and the cauldron it had set to bubble, but he found himself focusing on the taught content as he once did. The extensive calculations and numerous formulas of his fourth period class served as a welcome distraction, far more so than the murky waters he found himself resorting to for a while, and once immersed in the problems of integration and differential calculus, he discovered, or perhaps _re_discovered two things. Firstly, it was as though a translucent barrier had vanished from his mind, a certain dullness sharpening, and it seemed that things seemed far more _precise_, including the confusing turmoil in which he wondered.

And he enjoyed it. Or maybe 'enjoyed' wasn't the right term...but it was uplifting all the same.

Perhaps he was starting to re-emerge from his shell...surprising all it required was a new student who consequently looked exactly like him.

But there was still the shell beneath the cracks which needed to be shattered completely.

After all, not even the strongest barrier could be felled by a single blow.

The navy eyes travelled back up to the board, and the question on it.

* * *

'Does anyone know the integration of the function of x when it is equal to zero?' the mathematics teacher, 37 year old Haruno Kimi asked, her hazel eyes surveying the classroom.

There was an almost collective blink in response.

'Limits?' One student asked, a black-haired boy from the middle, though it appeared as most of those concentrating shared his sentiments, save Kouji, who was a tad bit behind, and thus lacking the fundamental differentiation which would have helped, and the other boy, who he still only knew as _Koukei_, and who was, as per usual, in a back-corner seat, however _not_ as per usual, or the newer usual in any case...

'Irrelevant,' he stated softly. 'A constant: C.'

'Correct Kimura-_kun_,' the teacher agreed, slightly surprised yet masking the general astonishment. 'You should have all remembered that from our previous work on differentiation. Recall how a constant, any constant, when differentiated, equalled 0?'

There was a voice of general assent, though a few seemed either vaguely lost, not paying attention, or a combination.

'Now, since the constant term has no variable, and thus neither does the integration of 0, the limit...'

The teacher continued with her lecture as Kouji resolved himself to finding out where his classes were all up to in the standard curriculum, seeing as though in both history and English literature, he was a few weeks ahead of the general class, and now apparently, a few weeks behind in advanced mathematics. He was yet to have physics, Japanese A1 or information technology, and he hoped he, at the most, wouldn't be _too_ behind in those aspects.

After all, there was only so much he could catch up before the work piled.

* * *

His mind was still trying to sort through the complexities of integration without the background knowledge which would have made it that bit easier to concentrate on where he was going on his way to his locker before break, and happened to walk headlong into someone. That wouldn't have been too bad, seeing as both stayed on their feet, but the fact that he was a new student, and the person he had walked into, made it that bit worse.

'Still around?' the elder of the remaining two, _Uddo_, scorned, referring just as much to yesterday's happenings as to the general situation.

'You didn't exactly win,' the other snapped in reply, trying to step around, only to find his way blocked.

'Nor did you,' the first shrugged. 'But then again, it was three against one. But that's not the point.'

He stepped in front of the other, making any escape impossible. 'You last name is Minamoto?' he asked.

'Yes...' Kouji replied warily.

'Father's name is Kousei?'

He answered in the like.

The other nodded, eyebrows furrowing in a mix of anger and confusion. 'Stay away from Kouichi.'

That had now been what the younger of the two had expected. 'Huh?'

'Kouichi,' the other spelled out. 'Kimura Kouichi. The one that socked you in the stomach yesterday.'

He remembered. He just hadn't recognised the given name.

His own eyebrows mirrored the action of the other's. 'Why?'

'You don't know?'

'Know what?' That last question sounded genuinely curious.

A sigh. 'Never mind.' He stepped back from the other. 'Tell me something, what did you think about yesterday?'

'What about yesterday?'

'Your observations. You're obviously from the upper class strata, but considering you haven't tried to deter me with any mention of wealth or power by now, I'd say you're not one of the usual bunch. Or you're just too new 'round here to know. But regardless, I want to know what you _saw_.'

And the intensity of the gaze warranted no room for lies or excuses.

'What with Sanya being one of the few places where there was no facade to cover it,' Kouji shrugged, not uncaring but somewhat similar, 'corruption, whether covered with colour or laid bare. And more.'

The other snorted. 'You say that now,' he said. 'But are you strong enough to stand against your social restraints? You are not the first to say as such.'

He turned and began to walk off, before tossing one last statement, or in fact reminder, over his shoulder.

'Stay away from Kouichi.'

Kouji had only walked a few paces, before being hailed once more.

'Oi! Minamoto-_kun_.'

He stopped, seeing as it would have been rather impolite to keep walking at the volume at which he was hailed. So he waited till the brunette who he sat next to in homeroom, Kanbara Takuya, to fall into step, before setting off to Information Technology, which coincidently both partook.

'Kobayashi hold you up?' he asked. 'Senior, light brown hair, wears a vest more often than not with the kanji for-'

'-wood on his back?' the other finished, curious, but still somewhat apathic, thus allowing no emotion to enter his tone. 'Indeed.'

Takuya caught the slight frown on the other's lips, but misunderstood its meaning. 'He does that,' he said in way of explanation. 'You must be quite the eye-catcher then. And not just in looks, for him to bother with you.'

The other didn't comment, letting the first continue.

'It's the way things work 'round here buddy,' he explained as they kept walking. 'The upper and lower classes are basically separate. Basically, being from the higher ups, the lower ones are beneath us. They're in some corner of town that people rarely see, and as it is, just pass by unless they're needed. And whether you believe all that-' Here, he cut himself off, taking in the fact that there was no-one else within earshot, before continuing. 'Whether you believe that crap or not, you have to at least pretend you do, or you're worse than no-body. The adults are worse, they're the whole picture of the up sitting on the backsides of the low. Unless you've got your group, like Kobayashi and those other four: Shimizu, Nakagawa, Yamaguchi, and Kimura. You don't pick at one thread forever.'

Kouji didn't even bother correcting him on his address. After all, hearing him talk, it seemed as he called everyone, or rather, in his terms, everyone who was anyone, 'buddy'.

'Meaning?' he asked instead.

'Well, this bunch of boys, those really high ups who thought they were invincible, picked on the younger kids quite a bit, and for awhile up till late last year, for some reason or other, probably because he's so damn smart, Kimura. Generally, those five look out for one another, so it's near impossible to get through their tight circle unless you share classes with one of them without the others, but they pushed him too far and he snapped. Long story short, those other guys got their asses kicked, and Kimura's been in his own little world ever since. And of course no-one'll do the same 'cause they're scared he'll blow his top again. '

They neared their destination, a computer lab upstairs in the furthest of the buildings. 'To put it all into a nutshell, just act like you're expected and you're fine. The boundaries are drawn, and you have to stick with them.'

The brunette shrugged after that. 'Though those boundaries are quite...malleable. It's more a matter of what people _know_ than what you actually _do_. People, especially those with the privilege, do anything so long as they can get away with it.'

'And you're telling me all this...'

'Well, someone needed to.' The boy shrugged again. 'No need to let yourself get into trouble just 'cause no-one gave you a heads up.' He stopped in front of a door.

'You'll pick up the ropes soon enough buddy,' Takuya said, grasping the handle. 'It's no more than any other place. Just more out-in-the-open since it's the norm 'round here.'

The door handle turned smoothly, and the door opened inwards, revealing the rows of computers.

'Info Tech,' he said, switching back to a bright tone, as opposed to the serious one he had adopted before. 'Fun.'

'I'm ecstatic I assure you,' the other rolled his eyes sarcastically, walking in.

'Sure you are buddy,' the other's laughing voice followed. 'Sure you are.'

* * *

**Notes**

**Subjects**

I've given the subjects with a mix of IB, VCE and MYP subjects with a bit of adjustment, but they're all basically senior subjects, undertaken in the final two/three (depending on the school) years of study.

Here the one's mentioned and/or referred to.

Kouji: Japanese A1, English Literature, History, Advanced Mathematics, Physics, Information Technology

Chiaki: Japanese A1, English Literature, National Politics, General Mathematics, Health Science, Visual Arts

Teruo: Same as Chiaki, except Biology instead of Health Science

Kouichi: Japanese A1, Creative Writing/Response, English A2, Advanced Mathematics, Chemistry, Music

Takuya: Japanese A1, English A2, History, Biology, General Mathematics, Information Technology

Therefore, the only class Kouichi shares with Chiaki and Teruo save homeroom is Japanese A1. Chiaki and Teruo share all classes save Biology/Health science, and they share Japanese A1 and English Literature with Kouji, and General Mathematics in addition to Japanese A1 with Takuya (additionally Biology in the case of Teruo). Takuya and Kouji share Japanese A1 and Information Technology, Kouichi and Takuya only share Japanese A1, and Kouji and Kouichi share Advanced Mathematics in addition to Japanese A1. And all of them are in the same homeroom.

I'll put Izumi in there later. Or not. I don't know yet. But that blonde girl in the front row of homeroom was her.

**Other explanations:**

Everything in the Kouichi sections, the beginning ones, are not necessarily real per say. Some of it is his reality, some of it outside. Take the example of the crow flying in the darkness-clouded air; the crow is real, but it's day time, so the darkness-clouded air is actually his own inner turmoil personified into a form he can visualise it. Maybe a bit confusing, but personally I think it works. But the links between his reality and the outer reality will become more important later on. Provided I remember of course.

BTW, does that description of Kouichi remind anyone else of a turtle, or a scared Squirtle, or is it just me?


	5. Chapter 4

**Yami no Tenshi, Hikari no Akuma**

He was just a new student in a new district, trying to fit in. He wondered exactly what he or someone else had done to attract so much unwanted attraction, eventually finding himself trapped in a social paradox...where the wrong decision could be deadly.

Kouji M & Kouichi K

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Katsuharu was on his way to his own class after the little confrontation with the new student when he bumped into Kouichi, the 'shadow' as they called him wandering along at an almost lethargic pace, as though his mind was miles away, drifting amongst the crows and vultures in the sky as his body tread along the corridors.

Frowning as he realised that usually the other was at his own class by now, he gripped the other's shoulders as he made to move on as though having never encountered an obstruction in his path, halting the other's progress and causing the dull blue eyes to flicker up to his face.

'Aren't you supposed to be in Music now?' he asked, turning to drag the teen towards the music rooms, which happened to be through an adjacent hallway a little behind them. 'Why were you going in the wrong direction? You just walked right past the hallway?'

The boy allowed himself to be pulled along for a moment, before half-heartedly attempting to twist out of the elder's grasp. Strong as it was however, he gave up again soon after. 'I don't want to,' he mumbled distantly.

Katsuharu stopped their trek and gaped at him, then grinned, thankful for a reply, and even more so with one that deterred from usual routine. 'Well, as much as I'd _love_ to help you skip class, _Mizu-chan_ will skin me alive the second she finds out, and I'd much rather have my skin intact.'

Something danced on the other's face, and _Uddo_'s grin widened. 'So how about you tell me what's up?

Kouichi was silent, trying to gain some coherence in his thoughts. Usually, he just ignored the question in any shape or form, being unable to word his turmoil and resorting to simply locking it all away within the endless black corridor of his mind where his conscience eternally dwelled with varying degrees of intensity. At times, he would find himself completely out-of-touch with reality, at others, enough to be able to function mechanically, but when something shocked him out of that particular mental state, as like then, he would find that actions and thoughts found themselves transiting in an almost clashing way. One moment, his mind would be mercifully clear, the next, overcrowded with no sense of direction and no love for additional stimuli.

But even in those sorts of circumstances, there were certain thoughts which stood out like beacons, so he went with them.

'That boy..,' he whispered hesitantly, not even noticing that the two had stopped moving and were now standing in an empty corridor. 'His name...and his face...and-'

'Your old man, right?' the other growled, realising where it was going. '_Kagami-kun_ brought me up to speed on your form class.'

Kouichi just nodded, staring at a spot on the floor without really seeing it.

Katsuharu muttered some obscenities under his breath, though not low enough so the other didn't hear, before seizing a wrist and dragging him along the hallways again. 'This is really not my thing,' he complained to himself, before saying somewhat louder. 'Concentrate on class.'

With that, he opened the door and gave him a little push forward, sending the sixteen year old stumbling into the spot light.

_Concentrate on class_. The wood child, almost an adult, couldn't help but roll his eyes at the clichéd advice. After all, everyone said that to him: the Counsellor, their guardian, Chiaki...though there were times where he did listen.

And there were also times when the borne guidance failed.

He really should have remembered music's nature when making that recommendation.

* * *

Madoka Gina stopped her lecture when the door opened and Kouichi stumbled through, a good fifteen minutes late. Behind him was Katsuharu, who gave the thirty year old blonde a one-fingered salute before heading off to his own class, and she gave him a soft nod in reply before returning to her own pupil.

'Kimura-_kun_,' she reprimanded, slightly taken aback, as the quiet boy _never_ acted up in her classes, and she had been teaching the kid for the last three years. Being the school's counsellor as well, she had been seeing quite a bit of the teen, but while he generally had to be dragged to her office, classes were routine enough for him to adhere to. 'Try to be more punctual next time.' She thought for a moment as the boy sat in his usual seat without reaction, before adding: 'Come to my office at the start of lunch.'

He nodded after a brief pause, and the slender woman returned to her lecture, before the groups split as they usually did, going after their various instruments and simply practicing in their personal space in the large room.

Once the students were emerged in their practice, the strawberry blonde moved between her students, listening to a singular while blocking out the collective so that she could properly assess and provide critique and praise. That was her way; the individual stood alone, the collective melded. One had to achieve perfection before all could.

That day, they were playing Kesson Daslef on the piano, what was supposed to be pure despair in its simplest, classical form but with the riddled mistakes sounded far too happy to be the dark and melancholic tone it was meant to be. _Perhaps it was better off_, she mused, pointing out a few stumbles in Orimoto Izumi's playing, indicating her to go over the problematic areas before complimenting the rest of the piece. _It's too miserable a song to be on the curriculum._

She then moved onto Kouichi who seemed to have stopped after the first few notes, staring at the music sheet with an odd expression on his face and an even odder outlook in his eyes.

'Is something the matter Kimura-_kun_?' Gina asked.

The addressed did not answer.

'Play,' she requested.

He looked a little uncomfortable with the request, but ignored it and began to play again, thinking it was his irrational dislike for the song, so he didn't waste any thought on it, letting his mind wander to other things instead.

A few notes in, he figured out why. He also realised it wasn't so irrational after all.

_He was running, bare feet plodding on the uneven footpath as he chased someone..._

His fingers were moving on their own now, drifting over the piano keys as the melody drifted into the now otherwise silent classroom, other students stopping their own practice to listen to what the piece was _supposed_ to sound like. It was however rather unfortunate that no-one was paying attention to the player.

_He screamed for the other to stop, yelling himself hoarse even as the grip accompanying him slackened as the arm fell limp. He screamed in desperation, in need, in want...but life walked away and death came_.

He shook slightly, and the slender woman looked at him. He didn't notice however, lost in the dark melody that forced half-forgotten dreams to surface.

_'It's your fault, you know?'_

'Stop it,' he whimpered, lifting his hands from the keys and clamping them over his ears instead, like he did when he was alone, in his bed, waiting the night away, forgetting where he was, forgetting what he was doing...

_'She died because of you. He left you because you're just a burden. Just a shadow flittering through the world, utterly useless...unless someone wants you for a tool and shoves you away.'_

Hands seized his wrists before they could move, and it took him a moment of struggling uselessly to realise that he was, first of all, still in music class, and secondly, had stopped playing again.

His teacher released her vice-grip on his wrists, letting his arms fall onto his lap. 'Outside Kimura-_kun_,' she directed gently, giving him a small nudge that propelled him into movement.

Then, ignoring the disapproving stares from some of the students from wealthier backgrounds, she followed him.

* * *

Madoka-_sensei_ led Kouichi to her office, where she directed him to the couch and left him there to return to what remained of the final period before lunch. Then she exited, shutting and locking the door behind her, leaving him in the shadowed room.

Then he was alone. Utterly alone, with only memories of nightmares for company.

Gina unlocked her door after the period was over to find who was probably her favourite student slumped over on the couch, head buried into one of her floral pillows. For a moment, she thought him to be asleep, but on closer examination realised that it wasn't the case. Rather, his murky blue eyes were staring at the embroidery lining the pillowcase...or through them. It was difficult to tell one from the other in his case. A rather rare case too; people afflicted with mental disorders tended not to remain in normal environment.

'Kouichi?' she asked gently, dropping the formality since it was only the two of them, and no-one to point out the favouritism of one societal group over another...or rather, the lack thereof, as any student who wound up so frequently in her office established a more personal relationship with her than within a class setting. 'Do you want to talk about what happened?'

She didn't ask what was wrong. That hardly ever got an answer, much less a satisfactory one. She simply asked the more direct question that _could_ be answered.

And one that would reward the words with ones of another meaning.

'It reminded me of something,' he said quietly, as the other helped him sit up. 'Of my nightmares, telling me it was all my fault: my father leaving, my mother dying...all of it.'

He had to practically force those words from his mouth, but once they were said, the others just spilled out of its own accord.

And she just sat and listened to the strange mix of confusion and underlining truth that poured out of the boy, carefully watching the murky blue slowly turn crystalline.

It was so easy to forget where he was. The dark, heavily curtained atmosphere made it seem so much like his own room in the lonely nights, lying or sitting up awake while his mind went in never-ending circles of nightmares and memories and wayward thoughts he just _knew_ would plague him the minute his consciousness was lost...but of course he couldn't prevent that. More like he tempted fate time and again by thinking so.

It had been a long time since he had spilled his heart. Neither _Yami_ nor _Koukei_ did so much, something he was greatly discouraged against yet to no avail. Actually, _Koukei_ never did; he had been created by Kouichi to lack emotion after all...the true _Koukei_ in any case, not the current intermediate with the same name.

By the time he was done, he felt more alive than he had for the past few months...but at a price.

His head was now pounding quite stubbornly within his skull.

'Oh dear.' The counsellor's cool hand brushed the hair out of his eyes and he rubbed his temples. 'Does your head hurt?'

'Yeah.' His voice sounded a little lighter too, as though a large weight had been removed from his shoulders for the time being, the words out and not having to be thought of again for awhile.

'Anything else?" she asked, setting him gently on the pillows as he allowed his eyes to close.

'Mmm...no,' he mumbled into the pillow. 'I don't think so.'

'All right.' She removed her hand and stood up. 'I'll pick up some Panadol from the Nurse.'

'_Sensei,'_ he called her before she could leave, lifting his head a bit.

'_Hai_?' She stopped with her door on the handle.

'_Arigato,'_ the boy mumbled, sounding half-asleep, but grateful all the same.

Her smile widened. 'It is my job,' she pointed out. 'And sometimes it's easier to talk to someone you haven't spent almost your whole life with.'

A small smile crawled onto his own face, and he closed his eyes against the world.

* * *

'Now, because the holidays only ended a few weeks ago,' the Counsellor mused, shuffling around papers and files on her desk, 'you've only missed _ weeks of work, give or take as you _have_ handed some homework tasks in over that course. And even despite that, it's not a normal amount owing to the start of the new semester and the adjustments that come with it. Now, aside from the extension project, which you need to submit a full plan before the end of the month, you've also got the music composition, several creative writing tasks, and that practical write-up for chemistry. Your priority should be to get those done, starting with your practical as that was due in last week, and then work through your writing tasks. Don't overstrain yourself though; if you cannot cover all the work along with new assessments, do the bare minimum required for a pass and work from there. Okay?'

As she had been talking, Kouichi had been sitting quietly in a chair in front, staring into his lap, though the short nod she received told her he had listened.

'Kouichi.' She sighed lightly, before looking at the expressionless mask that had slipped on again, only this time, slightly more relaxed, and livelier than the shadow puppet he tended to play. 'You're not going to get anywhere in life if you don't do anything. I've told you this before, and so has your family. You've got a good heart, and lots of potential, but neither are going to help you if you don't use them.'

'I don't,' he said expressionlessly, shaking his head.

'You do,' Gina insisted. 'Don't blot out the world. Use it.'

He averted his gaze again.

'It'll hurt,' she whispered to him. 'It always does. Many people find themselves thinking into the pits of darkness and despair with no light in sight for them, to the point where they can't sink any further, or find a way out. Some in fact ever dim but those who can overcome that and eventually let it go, they're the ones who have truly succeeded in life. And if they've built some strong bonds along the way, then that's even better for both them and those who play their own roles in the web of life as they interconnect with your own. But the point is you have to strive or success. Sometimes you'll forget, lost in that sea, but as long as you try, some reward will come.'

The ensuring silence following her words was interrupted by a knock on the door.

'Dismissed Kimura-_kun_,' she said, switching to formality. 'I expect you here tomorrow morning.

_'Hai Sensei_.' He bowed, before slipping out the door and brushing pas the other without recognition. Luckily too, as a sharper pair of blue followed his trek before turning away.

* * *

'Well,' the Counsellor asked, gesturing at the newly vacated seat. 'How was the first day?'

'All right,' Kouji grumbled, taking the offered seat.

'The people?' she pressed.

He shrugged. 'Fine.'

She smiled wryly. 'The truth please, Minamoto-_kun_. Whatever you say won't leave this room.'

He raised an eyebrow at her, before reconsidering his answer.

'They were...interesting,' he admitted.

'Anyone in particular?'

He deliberated the question, before answering with one of his own. 'Do you have a degree in psychology?'

'A bi-degree,' she replied. 'Psychology and music.'

Either way, there was little point trying to avoid the question. 'Kimura, Kobayashi and Kanbara.'

'Ah...' she mused sagely. 'Kimura-_kun_. What held your interest about him?'

He paused a moment, before replying. 'Everything: his appearance, his behaviour...'

'You know, he isn't always like that,' she said softly. 'He's just going through a rough time right now.'

He didn't say anything more, and the strawberry blonde took the hint. 'They're all good people. If they gave you advice, you should listen to it.'

He cocked an eyebrow at that comment.

'I've seen enough new students here to know how others treat them,' she pointed out by way of explanation. 'Kanbara-kun is rather open, but it's a catch and grab with Kobayashi-_kun_, but he is generally correct, and he picks out very few people to begin with.'

'He asked about Sanya,' Kouji said bluntly. 'And Asakusa.'

'I see.' She hummed a moment, before asking her next question. 'What did he say to your answer?'

'He asked whether or not I was strong enough to stand against my social restraints.'

'He did, did he?'

It was a rhetorical question, and thus went unanswered.

'Hm, that's interesting. He at least must think you have the potential otherwise he would not have said so.' Her face then took on a more serious look. 'Has anyone told you about social prejudice within this society?'

He nodded.

'Who?'

'Kanbara.'

She nodded. 'That's about as accurate as you're going to get. All adults are prejudiced; there is no denying that.' Then she closed her eyes, before bringing a hand in front and opening them again. 'Is there anything else? Problems with classes? Questions you want answered?'

Kouji began to shake his head, before changing it into a nod. 'Why did Kobayashi tell me to stay away from Kimura?'

The Counsellor looked vaguely surprised. 'He did?' She thought for a moment, before shaking her head. 'I'm afraid I don't know. Did you know them?'

'No. It seems they know my father though. Or at least someone by the same name.'

Her eyes darkened a little. 'I think it can be safely assumed that no love is lost between them,' she said, though her mind wandered to what Kouichi himself had said earlier about his own father. About his confusion, his speculations and the turmoil it wrought.

'What's with him?' the boy in front of her muttered. 'He's like a walking shadow.'

'That's a personal matter of his,' the Counsellor replied. 'But it's a shame, really. He's a good kid at heart, just confused and lost...but in today's world, they're always the worst off when they find themselves in bad situations. The innate goodness prevents them from hardening completely against the harsh realities of life...and that's the type of thing that can both save someone and destroy them utterly.'

'Rather paradoxical,' the sixteen year old pointed out, accepting the privacy, shifting a little in his seat and remembering his previous irritability. 'Why did I have to come here?'

'It's routine,' the lady replied, the corner of her lip quirking as she read the expression from her next statement. 'Making sure you're adjusting well into the school and all.'

'That's-'

'-a waste of time?' She smiled wryly. 'Not always, and not, I don't think, in your case. A surprising amount of information can come out of sessions like these, some of which can become rather useful in the long run.'

She remained silent after that, watching the boy's stoic glare. 'Dismissed,' she said by way of farewell. 'If you want to drop by again, feel free. Or if you wind up in trouble.' She shrugged slightly. 'Try not to though, the punishments aren't always picture pretty.'

He nodded, bowed, and exited.

It was only after he had left the building behind that he realised just how much he had discussed with a perfect stranger.

* * *

'Where is that kid?' Teppei groaned, plopping down on Kouichi's neatly-made bed, the room of which was deprived of the said boy. The desk looked as though it had been recently abandoned, though neat as it was, it meant he wasn't planning on coming back any time soon.

It hadn't occurred to him to check the room first, as he, at that time, was normally not even in the house, but as combing through Sanya had yielded no results, he and Katsuharu spread across the house, the other two still in Sanya, and after the common room, this was the next possible spot on and above the surface.

Groaning slightly, he eased himself off the bed, smoothing the covers (and thus avoiding a double earbashing) and examining the contents of the desk. A chemistry practical more or less complete, an open planner with a few items ticked off, scribbled notes on what he assumed to be creative writing as they made little sense, a small pile of which was accompanied by an unfinished draft and held together by a paperclip, and the usual school books lined up neatly.

Realising what was missing, he groaned slightly, before trudging off to the ground floor. If his music sheets were missing, then that meant he was in the music room.

And he was, playing what sounded a little like a sea piece on the piano.

'What are you playing?' he asked, curious.

The other boy shrugged, drumming his fingers experimentally before tapping a few more notes. 'From the depths,' he replied, a little distracted.

'Huh?'

'The piece. It's called "From the Depths".'

'Oh, and here I was thinking you were talking about-' He suddenly cut himself off as he remembered something. Well, two something actually. 'What in the world are you doing anyway?'

He removed his hands from the piano and looked at the other, before gesturing in the general direction of the scribbled over music sheets. 'Trying to come up with a composition.'

Teppei raised an eyebrow. 'Music assignment?'

Kouichi nodded.

'Stopped procrastinating?' He didn't even bother to hide the relieved grin that spread from his face, even if he had been happy to have a companion in skipping homework tasks.

'I was being stupid,' the other muttered.

'No you weren't,' the brunette grinned, placing a hand on the other's shoulder. 'But if you were going to keep up much longer, I would have had to crack your head as well as your omelettes.'

The black haired boy looked at his lap. 'I worried you all, didn't I?'

That comment earned him a punch to the shoulder. 'Quit that guilty look before _Mizu-chan_ has my hide,' the attacker ordered. 'Of course,' he mused as an afterthought. 'She'll have to dig it up from the self first.' Then, noting the other about to open his mouth, he cut in. 'Don't you dare apologize.'

'But-' Kouichi protested weakly.

'But nothing. Forgotten all our crazy stuff?' Without giving him a chance to answer, he pulled the other up and pushed him in the direction of the door. 'You're supposed to be training now. Gun practice...when was the last time you went anyway?'

Kouichi shrugged, grimacing at the thought of the training. But knowing he couldn't avoid it forever, he went, leaving the still grinning Teppei behind. 'Go to the common room when you're done,' he yelled, knowing full well the other was going to need his family when he was through.

After all, he knew well enough that permanent changes weren't as rapid as one would like.

* * *

Target practice. It should be simple. Indeed, it was in the generic sense. Just point, and shoot. And hit the target.

Simple, if not for two things. The deafening noise of the contraption in his hand, and the target itself. The damned small red dot that marked the centre.

Hesitantly he fingered the .45 model in his hands, before suddenly snapping off the safety function and aiming for his target in a fluid movement.

Behind his eyes, his mind whispered.

_ '...don't blot out the world. Use it.'_

_ 'You should follow your emotions rather than rejecting them...'_

_ '...if you were going to keep up muck longer, I would have had to crack your head as well as your omelettes.'_

_ 'Rome wasn't built in a day you know. Nor by a single man...'_

_ '...it'll hurt. It always does.'_

Those voices more reassuring. Then the others, echoes of his nightmares and fears...

_'It's your fault, you know?'_

'_She died because of you. He left you because you're just a burden._

'_Just a shadow flittering through the world, utterly useless...unless someone wants you for a tool and shoves you away...'_

The gun in his hand went off, causing him to jerk back a few feet at the noise and the bullet to bury itself into the white around the red.

Red...blood...

He had been young, but he remembered that blood over him, the blood that had been gently washed off, even if he remembered nothing else of _her_, of his mother...and then later, his best friend...

'_...going to run and hide again?'_

He snapped the gun ready again.

_'...don't blot out the world. Use it.'_

The target, simply white and red, outlined in black.

_Black...darkness...nothing..._

He gritted his teeth, steadying his hand again before blocking out the chaos in his head.

For this, he needed focus. To practice, and when the time came, to do.

The shot echoed, hitting the red dead centre.

And the dark eyes followed its path.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

If you haven't picked it up by now (and I won't blame you if you hadn't, I made it a bit vague), Kouichi has DID, which is a Dissociative Identity Disorder, a form of split personality. Sort of the Lowemon/Duskmon alter. His normal identity, the one Katsuharu and the gang call _Yami_, is more like the Lowemon, while the one they used to call _Koukei_ is more like Duskmon before he met Kouji. The one they now call _Koukei_ is more like the Duskmon after meeting Kouji, but he can, and does, still revert back to the earlier 'Duskmon' when he needs to as a defence mechanism.

For the sake of this story, _Yami_ developed _Koukei_ subconsciously as a defence mechanism to protect him from his nightmare/reality/something which may become clear at a later stage. At the beginning, _Yami_ was not aware of _Koukei_, though the reverse was not true. At a few months before these events (which I believe I have mentioned somewhere or other), _Yami _becomes aware of _Koukei_ at not exactly the best time, so that in turn affect's _Yami's_ psyche and causes _Koukei_ with a bit of mix of _Yami_ to become more prominent. Kouichi will learn eventually that being one or the other isn't going to cut it.

People suffering from DID do present several symptoms, but not all symptoms are shown in all people. For Kouichi, here are the ones that have been shown, or will be later on (I think):

- Distortion and/or lack of subjective time

- Depression

- Flashbacks of trauma induced memories (including nightmares)

- Derealisation

- Unexplainable headaches and other body pains

- Dual mannerisms, attitudes and/or beliefs which may not complement one another

- Irrational phobia (well...maybe not so irrational)

This information is a combination of year 11/12 psychology and the internet. No personal experience, so I apologise if it is a bit disjointed from reality. I was planning on taking the track in uni, but I didn't get into the course that would allow me to do that...which _is_ a good thing, but means I can't do psychology anymore.

...and now that I think about it, that works for Ken in Adventure 02 as well. And a number of other people in a number of other fictions as well.

As for the Counsellor, Kouichi spent three years with her on a pretty regular basis, and counsellors tend to have a rather personal relationship with their clients, especially when they've spent that long with them. This one I know for a fact...anyway, because of that, Gina is well justified in calling Kouichi by his first name, however Kouichi still calls her _Sensei_ because that's just his way.

And as for the gun thing, I mentioned some of it in chapter 2. Illegal stuff happens in Sanya, because for the most part no-body cares. And you can think of the "orphanage" as part of an underground revolutionary movement...well, sort of.

Um...I think that was it.


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes**

Sorry it took so long. I couldn't figure out to put in the last nine pages of this chapter, seeing as the first part of this needs to link into a different chapter, as it has to be Kouji centric, and this chapter continues from the last one. Got a little confusing.

Anywho, enjoy.

* * *

**Yami no Tenshi, Hikari no Akuma**

He was just a new student in a new district, trying to fit in. He wondered exactly what he or someone else had done to attract so much unwanted attraction, eventually finding himself trapped in a social paradox...where the wrong decision could be deadly.

Kouji M & Kouichi K

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Darkness had long since descended when Tenjin Seidei swung open the double doors to the sound-padded container underground the fighting dojo. In practicality, it was actually a part of the dojo itself, however only independently accessible by people he trusted.

And that wasn't a great deal of people. Namely his family. Himself, his sister and brother-in-law, and the five children that had long since stayed under their guardianship, thrown to him from the cruel outer world.

Others came and went, and they could never divulge secrets, as their senses were shut in the time it took to translate from one place to another. They couldn't tell you where the secrets lay, or why, or even what they were...they followed the path of fate with gentle nudges and willing steps towards a new world...as far as they would go, without the defining moments of their memory pulling them back to their own heavily wrought loyalties.

Five children they had raised from babyhood; they were the only ones who could be generically trusted as a true part of the core. Others were older when they came, the loose hands had gripped elsewhere in the large web of hearts' connections; it was just the way of the world, after all. All you could really rely on was your own.

And such bonds didn't have to be made of blood. After all, this was a world where even blood was abandoned.

The darkness had spread here too, he noted wryly, realising that the single bulb present for night trainers had not been touched. Being underground, there were no windows, which made the blackness complete save the thin cracks of light that flooded around the edges of the vents outlining the perimeter of the 'room'; after all, there had to be some permanent source of light and air in such a place.

_His_ night vision was rather poor, so all he could make out were vague outlines, none moving. The repetitive clicking and snapping told him though that someone was practicing with one of the smaller and snappier gun models.

Click. Snap. Click. Snap.

'Kouichi?' he asked, causing the noise to cease as he flicked the switch and let light flood into the room. The boy however, did not move.

'_Koukei_,' he tried again, coming closer and putting a firm hand on the kneeling boy's shoulder, using the other hand to gently pry the fingers from the gun and the practice bullets they used (suction caps, and reusable; it wouldn't do to waste bullets on practice after all). The weapon fell to the floor, and the tense figure slumped slightly, but otherwise, he gave no indication of the interruption.

Seidei looked up, at the neat array of suction caps, one on white, the rest against the smaller red circle in the centre. 'I see your aim hasn't suffered from your lack of practice,' he said in a half conversational, half scolding manner.

Kouichi lowered his head slightly, an average, almost reflexive, guilty reaction.

The older blonde couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. He was certainly behind on times.

But as to not look a horse in its mouth, he continued on the reason he had come in the first place.

'I have a job for you.'

He tilted his head, almost unnoticeably. He was listening. Sort of.

Seidei couldn't help but smile, coming around to look the boy in the eyes instead. 'You'll like this one,' he comforted. 'It's a retrieval.'

Blue eyes sparked snapped up slightly. 'A...retrieval? Of what?'

The blonde didn't answer, instead looking into the murky turquoise. 'Did something happen at school?' he asked instead. 'Is something bothering you?'

There was an almost implacable hiss of breath, the only answer he would get.

'What?' he pressed, gently gripping the other's shoulders with one hand and his chin with the other, tilting his head so the two pairs of eyes met.

Kouichi opened his mouth to answer, before fishing wordlessly, struggling to formulate drifting thought into meaning, before cutting off entirely with another hiss, this time of pain.

'_Koukei_?'

The boy took a deep breath, half pained, half forced, before almost brutally shoving the unforgivable and sudden pain in his chest away. His arms rose to it slightly out of instinct, before he steadied them, straight and strong, resisting the adding urge to raise them to clutch his hair to banish unbidden thoughts and whispers that faded into his little orb of darkness.

Seidei recognised the symptoms, even if he was no doctor or psychologists. It was the way he coped, withdrawing, ignoring, building his wall...and inevitably drawing himself deeper into the tunnel whose lighted exit was far beyond the limits of sight.

So he switched to the more professional mannerism himself. That of a general ordering his army, rather than a kindly uncle coaxing their nephew.

'There's a corporate building situated at the edge of the Sumida river,' he explained. 'They have, or will have by tomorrow, several...documents, that we require. The place is highly secure, which is problematic as even as Kenmei can enter the building itself, he cannot get to the upper floor where this folder is located, or anywhere of his own violation without company for that matter. Tomorrow, there will be a party for business officials, potential stock owners and the likes, to which he will be going, and I need you to go with him, as his son, sneak out, retrieve those papers, bypassing security, and leaving a replacement to they don't realise the switch till hopefully the day after. Without your absence being noted. As the possibility of a mess in transit will be possible, it should relieve the possibility of a bypass in their security.'

He took a deep breath, looking for any reaction, before continuing. 'You'll recognise the papers when you see them. Top-secret envelope. Manilla yellow. Unaddressed, save the stamp of interstate delivery. We can't attempt to apprehend these papers because of that stamp, but we can change the papers in the envelope. You got that?'

He nodded stiffly.

'There won't be time for it to be read,' Seidei pressed on. 'The delivery comes late afternoon, just before this cooperate party begins. That is why we need to retrieve them some time during that period, before they _are_ read, approved, and redelivered.'

The other nodded again, not even reacting as the doors slid open again, revealing the third participant in their one-sided conversation.

The brunette cocked his head slightly, met by a slight jerk of the head from the blonde.

'Done?' he asked quietly.

The older man nodded.

'Any luck?'

Seidei frowned slightly. 'Maybe,' he returned, looking into the other's amber eyes. 'Out though.'

His brother in law mirrored the look; he really was rather fond of the teenager. '_Koukei_?' he asked, but was met with the same reaction the other had received.

He looked at the other, before tightening his lips slightly. 'I'll take him back.'

'The others are waiting for him.'

* * *

Despite knowing the other teenagers were still waiting upstairs, Shuntoku Kenmei led his charge back to the piano, pulling the small form onto his lap with no resistance while stationing himself to play.

'Let me help with your composition,' he said, having noted the papers still lying around the antique instrument, before pulling his own music sheet, a happier tune that he enjoyed and had taught the younger, the only one who seemed to have any talent in music at all, it, along with quite a few others, not only on the piano, but the violin as well. 'Really must you play such depressing music all the time?'

The boy in his lap said nothing, though he curled slightly as the sweet melodies of the English tune Greensleeves floated through the air.

'Play,' he requested, once he had finished himself, but to his surprise, Kouichi curled himself up further and refused.

Kenmei blinked. 'No?'

The other shook his head into his shirt.

'Why not?' he asked, though thinking he may have just been pushing his luck a little. 'Is something bothering you?'

When the other didn't answer, he wrapped his arms around the teenager and pulled him close, rocking him gently (he was rather small and light for a sixteen year old) while repeating the tune again.

Until the small hands took the keys from him and continued.

Kenmei couldn't stop the grin from forming on his face as Kouichi continued the tune, Greensleeves floating in the wind with a meaning that had for a time vanished from the player that played it. It wasn't nearly as sweet nor contenting as it had been even a year past, and nowhere near the small child learning the piano keys under his fingertips, but it echoed with far more than the emptiness that had for a time persisted as the wall, knocked down and shattered, attempted to rebuild itself.

He stopped suddenly, but let his fingers rest on the keys.

'Why'd you stop?'

He looked down slightly, eyes focusing on the shadows under the large instrument. 'It feels wrong.'

The brunette drew him a little closer, pulling the reluctant hands away. 'It feels wrong because it's not coming from your heart,' he explained softly. 'There was a time where it would? What changed?'

It was a rhetorical question, seeing as they both knew the answer. Blood and blame had pulled him too far into himself, and it seemed things were changing again.

'Your music teacher called today,' he continued. 'She says the two of you had a talk.'

Kouichi nodded.

'She didn't give any details, but she tells me there is a list of assignments you need to complete,' the guardian continued, more than a little amused by the consequences of procrastination. 'And when I was in your room earlier, I saw quite a leeway on them for one night. You've been rather busy.'

He stayed silent as the other raised a teasing eyebrow, like a well-meaning but rather overenthusiastic uncle. Close enough...he was a legal guardian after all.

'New student?'

The other tilted his head up, startled. 'How'd you guess?'

'Actually,' Kenmei laughed. 'Completely random. Girl?'

'No,' came the deadpanned reply.

'Oh, then what's special about him?'

There was a pause, almost fearful this time. Startled at the sudden change, the older man took his younger charge in a strong grip and examined his eyes, clouded as they always were, but this time in fear, shaking slightly, physically-

'Kouichi?' he asked, removing one hand and feeling the suddenly flushed forehead. 'Are you feeling okay?'

His, Kouichi's, head was suddenly spinning, melding green and blue and yellow, sleep and reality, nightmare and dream-

He took a quick, hissing breath, then another one as the other took the boy's temples in his fingers, rubbing them gently, hopping to stem away the headache, and derealised panic; he sometimes tended to get a little difficult to handle in situations like this.

But as the pupils constricted, showing off their turpentine blue and surrounding whites in the relative darkness.

'Hush _Koukei_,' Kenmei whispered gently, as the other suddenly begun to cry desperately, shaking like a leaf and curling into the other's lap. The older man retracted from the piano, singing _Hitoribocchi ja nai_ as he tightly held the squirming child lost in his own nightmare-ridden world (which was harder than it looked, holding a squirming teenager when you were a still aging man yourself; bad for osteoporosis, thank goodness he wasn't _that_ old yet).

'_Umi ni kaze ga asa ni taiyou ga hitsuyou na no to onaji you ni_

_Kimi no koto wo hitsuyou na hito ga kanarazu soba ni iru yo..._

Like the waves need the wind, and the morning needs the sun, there is something we all need, too

The thing that you need most is a person who will always be at your side...'

* * *

It took a while, but the boy eventually drifted off into an uneasy sleep, burning slightly with a sudden fever and still gasping faintly at the subconscious pain.

With nothing else left, he carried the teenager to his room, settling him into the covers before retrieving a wash cloth and soaking it through with cool (not cold, that would make the headache worse) water, softly padding the flushed skin as Jihika heard his footholds and entered as well.

'Is he okay?' the blonde woman asked worriedly.

Her husband looked at the sixteen year old, now sleeping without peace, before shaking his head. 'He had an attack.'

'Oh, I see.' The blue eyes, these ones like sapphires, carefully scrutinised the two, before she leaned down and brushed some shaggy, almost black, hair away from the pained face. 'I wonder what happened.' _And how long he's going to make himself suffer like this..._

'We might as well leave him,' the male sighed, standing up from the bedside, as the blonde neatly tucked her child in, drawing the blankets to his chin and lightly ruffling the bluish-black hair so it fell almost haphazardly onto the pillow. 'What do you think?'

She frowned slightly. 'I think a lot of things,' she provided. 'But it is not my opinion that matters here. It is his.'

'Jihika...'

The woman shrugged half-heartedly, shutting the door behind her as the two made their way downstairs again. 'I don't know,' she admitted finally. 'He is the most mystifying person I've ever met. Two sides of extreme. I've never seen anyone like him.'

'He's a walking contradiction,' her husband agreed. 'Sweet and gentle, detached and more a wraith than a human being-'

His wife glared.

'-, about as empty as a black hole, and rather dangerous should you push him too far.' He nodded, as if proving a point. 'Mystifying is putting it rather mildly.'

He grabbed the other suddenly, wrapping his strong arms around her shapely waist and inhaling the scent of her hair. 'Madoka-_san_ called this afternoon.'

'Oh?' Jihika was surprised, as the Counsellor/Music teacher normally called her, not her husband's office. 'How come?'

'He drifted off in music,' Kenmei explained softly, so if any onlookers had been eavesdropping, they would be unable to catch the words. 'He told her some stuff.'

The blonde woman twisted out of her husband's embrace in surprise. 'What did he say?'

'That's the thing.' She could feel the lips frowning in her locks. 'She wouldn't say. She seems to think that if he wants to tell is, he will in his own time.'

She slumped slightly. 'I wish he would trust us enough.'

'He does,' the other rebuked. 'Maybe we are too much of a family to him for him to be able to place that burden on us. Do you remember him _ever_ mentioning when something was bothering him? Unless it got unmanageable, and then he would just get painkillers from the medicine cabinet or the nurse.'

'Now that you mention it...no,' the guardian admitted. 'I wish he would though; we could help him.'

'If we can, he'll tell us. But she also mentioned she wants a closer eye kept on him.'

She looked at him, blue eyes piercing slightly in the darkness. 'Why? Does she think something-?'

'I don't know,' the other interrupted, drawing her back into his embrace, resting her chin on her crown. 'She didn't say.'

'Did you ask?' Her tone was a little suspicious.

'Well...no. But you know she wouldn't have told me if I had.'

Jihika rolled her turquoise orbs. 'Just like a man,' she growled jokingly, before switching back into seriousness. 'They're all my children, and no mother likes seeing their children hurt. And if a child can't tell their mother what's bothering them...unless-'

'Now don't you finish that thought,' Kenmei cut her off, placing his forefingers on her lips, the two having come to their own room by then. 'No-one ever replaces the mother who raised them.' His lips took on a teasing smirk. 'Or the one who feed them from her own breasts.'

She swatted him lightly upside the head. 'Says the doting father,' she shot back. 'I saw you two you know.'

He feigned innocence. 'Is it somehow illegal to take one of my own kids into my lap and play the piano to them?'

'Maybe...seeing as you don't do it to anyone else.'

He shrugged. 'Not my fault the others are all tone deaf. Except maybe Andante-kun...if he didn't hide in your dress the second he saw me.'

Jihika laughed, casting off the over-shawl she wore. 'Not my fault you're big and scary,' she mocked back.

'I'm perfectly average,' the other returned in a mock-wounded voice.

'Oh, did I hurt the big strong man's feelings?' she teased, before kissing him into silence before he could answer.

'Are you going to make it better if you did?' he asked back, lowering his tone to a slight level of huskiness.

'Mmm...I'll have to think about that.'

* * *

As morning followed the night, Chiaki yawned lightly as she was inexplicably roused from her sleep, before rolling over and landing on Teruo's attempts to find a clean shirt that wasn't new enough to not be sacrificed due to frog-spawn all over it (they had a biology prac that day: dissection).

'Wha-?' she asked drowsily, opening her eyes before snapping them shut as a stream of sunlight hit. 'I'm going back to bed.'

'And missing breakfast,' her partner's sing-song voice pointed out, amused. 'Pancakes.'

She was up in a flash, zipping into her dress and blouse in the time it took for _Kagami_ to pull out a shirt and slip into it. 'Whoever said it took girls long to dress forgot to take you into account,' he mused, watching _Mizu_ brush her loose brown curls before separating them into six strands and forming matching ponytails.

'Cute look.'

'Shut up,' the other snapped back lightly. 'The wind's gonna be hell today.'

'Doesn't bother me,' the male grinned, indicating his short-cropped brown hair.

The girl simply rolled her eyes. 'I'll go wake up _Koukei-kun_.'

'Don't bother,' Teruo stopped her. 'I saw him downstairs. You're behind your usual time today.'

'Oh?' She raised an eyebrow, before looking at the wall clock. It was almost half an hour later than she usually woke up. 'You could have woken me,' she yelped, looking as though she was magnetically attracting the books the pair needed for the school day.

_Kagami_ grinned. 'You looked too cute sleeping. 'sides, we're not late.'

She glared. 'You lost me my pancakes.'

'You've still got five minutes to eat,' he pointed out, as the girl stormed off to the bathroom. 'Sheesh, pms-ing much?' he groaned later to himself at the doorway, making sure it wasn't loud enough to be heard, before swiping both bags up and heading downstairs, almost bumping into Kouichi along the way.

He would have actually, if he hadn't moved out of the way, as it looked as though the other hadn't seen him.

And looking past him at the table, he spied the pile next to the half-empty glass of milk lacking only half the top pancake, which had been covered, thanks to an enthusiastic Teppei, with maple syrup.

'I thought you hated maple syrup,' he said to the retreating form, though not really in surprise. Upon receiving no reply, he sighed a little, before yelling: 'Teppei!'

'What happened to your dear _Daichi-kun_?' the younger brunette asked, appearing from the sitting room, where the three were waiting for the remaining two.

'Is there a reason you're wasting maple syrup?' he asked in feigned anger, looking between him, Katsuharu who was lazing lounging on the couch beside him and Kouichi who looked like he had been pushed into the position he was in now on the opposite couch.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' Teppei replied innocently, though quailing a little under Chiaki's glare as she appeared at the base of the stairs.

_Uddo_ simply rolled his eyes at the pathetic attempt at purity, before looking at the only female. 'Are you done?'

'Time to eat?' she asked back, looking as though the walk to school would be hell frozen over if he said no.

He shrugged. 'Go ahead.'

She smiled.

* * *

**Post Author's Notes**

Regarding the time lapse at the beginning, one of the symptoms of DID is experiencing blackouts of time, ie. time passing with no regard. In other words, as long as Kouichi spent in the training room, it didn't feel that long to him at all.

The first song Kenmei and Kouichi were playing on the piano is Greensleeves, a Western Piano piece that shows up in the Naughtiest Girl series by Enid Blyton. I know its Japan, different music...but why not know some international pieces too? Greensleeves is a nice one.

The second song is Hitoribocchi ja nai/You're Not Alone Anymore from the Pokémon anime. Here's the whole English lyrics:

Like the waves need the wind, and the morning needs the sun, there is something we all need, too  
The thing that you need most is a person who will always be at your side

Like a forest needs water, and a night needs shining, there is something we all need, too  
Someone who will pray whole-heartedly  
That your life be saved

No matter how long and far a road stretches, you can always make it through  
But sometimes as you're walking you pause  
And wonder if your dreams still burn so bright

Don't ever be afraid, and don't ever lose your courage  
You're not alone anymore  
Together, forever, we'll chase  
Those stars that are shining

Even if the future is buried by hatred that threatens to pull us under  
We won't lose our hearts  
Made to believe in forgiveness

Like the waves need the wind, and the morning needs the sun, there is something we all need, too  
The thing that you need most is a person who will always be at your side

No matter how long and far a side road stretches, you can always climb it  
But sometimes as you're walking you pause  
And wonder if your dreams still burn so bright

Don't ever be afraid, and don't ever lose your courage  
You're not alone anymore  
Together, forever, we'll take hold  
Of the rainbow that is shining

Even if we get lost in this world where the fighting never ends  
We won't ever forget our hearts  
Made to love and understand


End file.
